Local favourite (and, hey, national favourite, too) Richard Dawson has been responsible for some of the best moments in recorded sound this century. From his out-there collaboration with Finnish rock band Circle, to the epic 41-minute track that opened his 2022 album ‘The Ruby Cord’, he’s a fella pushing envelopes. His latest is a more straight-forward affair, if you can call his wonky-freak-folk straight-forward. Each track is a cinematic vignette that shines a light on family life with Dawson’s gimlet eye never missing a trick. ‘Knot’ – about a wedding for instance – throws up: “Waddling down the aisle comes a golden retriever in a waistcoat and dicky bow.” In short: brilliant as ever. DP

Released 14 February on Domino