We’re about to get a new album from the beloved and gravitas-rich folk singer-songwriter Richard Dawson. End Of The Middle, which will be out on Valentine’s Day, is billed as a soft, stripped-back release from Dawson, who has lately been on more of an experimental tip through his work with Circle or the 41-minute track that opened 2022’s The Ruby Cord. Lead single “Polytunnel” is indeed quite minimal, just Dawson’s voice and guitar, spinning a mysterious narrative that Dawson both illuminates and obscures in his statement:

I think I know what’s happening in the song, but hopefully that’ll be different for each person listening. I like that the line “Out the gate and down the lane” – it could mean going down the allotment, or it could mean going somewhere else. Tunnel is obviously a very loaded word. There’s possibly a lot of drama happening outside of the lines of the song…. Or not. It might just be a song about an allotment.

Director James Hankins filmed the “Polytunnel” video at multiple garden allotments, based on a concept by Dawson. Watch below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Bolt”
02 “Gondola”
03 “Bullies”
04 “The question”
05 “Boxing Day sales”
06 “Knot”
07 “Polytunnel”
08 “Removals van”
09 “More than Real”

End Of The Middle is out 2/14 on Weird World/Domino. Pre-order it here.