End of the Middle

Having previously produced records that explored fifth century peasantry and future, post-apocalyptic dystopias, on his eighth solo album, Richard Dawson focuses his singular songwriting style on the “small scale and domestic”.

Like an avant-folk Alan Bennett, Dawson’s eye for the mundane minutiae of everyday life is wonderful, with songs detailing the drudgery of post-Christmas sales (“Boxing Day”), the restorative power of gardening (“Polytunnel”) and the messy knots of family life and parenting (“Bullies”).

While non-UK listeners might want to Google the likes of “Noel’s House Party,” “Majestic Wines” or the detailed list of daytime television reeled off in “Gondola”’s tale of old age and loneliness, Dawson’s feel for the humanity, drama and pain lurking beneath the seemingly dull is universal, where a song outwardly about, say, hiring a removals van (“Removals Van”), can reveal something about the traumas handed down from generation to generation. Even within Dawson’s unique oeuvre, End of the Middle is a remarkable record.