End of the Middle is the eighth solo studio album by the English progressive folk musician Richard Dawson, released on February 14, 2025 on Weird World, an imprint of Domino. Produced by Sam Grant and Dawson, the album features drummer and regular collaborator, Andrew Cheetham, appearing throughout, with additional clarinet provided by Faye MacCalman.
Released to critical acclaim, the album was preceded by the singles, "Polytunnel", "Boxing Day Sales" and "Gondola". The album is a concept album focusing on "several generations of one family, and how patterns of behaviour repeat across them."[1]
Writing and composition
Following the release of Dawson's loose trilogy of albums – Peasant (2017), 2020 (2019), and The Ruby Cord (2022) – each set within the past, present and future, respectively, Dawson started writing a concept album which focused on family dynamics across generations, noting: "It zooms in quite close up to try and explore a typical middle class English family home. We're listening to the stories of people from three or four generations of perhaps the same family. But really, it’s about how we break certain cycles. I think the family is a useful metaphor to examine how things are passed on generationally.”[2] Dawson elaborated, "The whole thing’s concerned with these unhealthy cycles of violence or distrust, and these things that get passed down, generation to generation. The characters do have a lot of sadness but I hope each one, in every song, is having a moment where they are somehow breaking that cycle or at least starting to shake the spiral. [...] Hopefully, it’s encouraging."[3]
During the writing process, Dawson was inspired by the work of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu, whose prominent themes included family, marriage, and the relationships between generations.[4]
Recording
Clarinetist Faye MacCalman, a member of the Newcastle-based jazz band, Archipelago, appears throughout the album, with her contributions being credited as "bolts of lightning" in the album's liner notes. Dawson elaborated, describing her performances as "seen in a big, bright flash. Maybe they stay seen. I like the idea that the torch is going to be switched on, maybe when you’re not expecting it. Also, it’s to do with chaos and not knowing what’s around the corner."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Richard Dawson, except "More Than Real" which is written by Richard Dawson and Sally Pilkington.
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