Richard Dawson, the black-humored bard of Newcastle, his sixth solo album 2020 is an utterly contemporary state-of-the-nation study, that uncovers a tumultuous and bleak time. Here is an island country in a state of flux; a society on the edge of mental meltdown.

On 2020, Dawson introduces us to grand themes through small lives. His are portraits of human beings struggling with recognizable (and dare we say it, relatable) concerns, conflicts and desires, each reminding us that tragedy and gallows humor are not mutually exclusive, and that the magical can sit next to the mundane. Lyrically, it is by far Dawson’s hardest-hitting and unflinchingly honest album to date. It is his poetic masterwork.