Paul McCartney Announces 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane,' 18th Studio Album

Paul McCartney will revisit his formative years on his upcoming 18th studio album, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane," set for release May 29 via MPL/Capitol Records, according to an announcement Thursday. The 14-track album is introduced by the first single, "Days We Left Behind," released Thursday.

McCartney's first album since 2020's "McCartney III" is described in a press release as a reflection on his youth in Liverpool, exploring the experiences that shaped his life and influenced modern popular culture. The release calls "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" his most introspective album to date, describing it as a personal narrative that takes listeners "back to where it all began."

The lyrics to "Days We Left Behind," a gentle, acoustic ballad, include: "Looking back at white and black/ Reminders of my past/ Smoky bars and cheap guitars/ Nothing ever stays/ Nothing comes to mind/ No one can erase/ The days we left behind." The album title refers to Dungeon Lane, a road leading from McCartney's native Liverpool to the Speke shoreline, where he grew up.

According to the release, the album finds McCartney, 83, in a "candid, vulnerable and deeply reflective mood," writing with "rare openness" about his childhood in postwar Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and his early years with future Beatles bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison.

In a return to his solo roots, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" is credited solely to McCartney, who played most of the instruments, similar to his 1970 debut, "McCartney," and its 1980 sequel, "McCartney II."

"This is very much a memory song for me," McCartney said in a statement regarding the album's first single. "The album title, 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane,' comes from a lyric in this track. I was thinking about the days I left behind and I do often wonder if I'm just writing about the past, but then I think, how can you write about anything else? It's just a lot of memories of Liverpool. It involves a bit in the middle about John and Forthlin Road, which is the street I used to live on. Dungeon Lane is near there. I used to live in a place called Speke, which is quite working class. We didn't have much at all, but it didn't matter because all the people were great and you didn't notice you didn't have much."

The album originated five years ago when McCartney and producer Andrew Watt met in Los Angeles. During an informal session, McCartney discovered a new chord sequence that became the foundation for the project. Recording took place with Watt in Los Angeles and Sussex, England, between legs of McCartney's tours, with no label deadlines or pressure.

According to the release, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" is musically eclectic, featuring McCartney on a variety of instruments and styles. The album ranges from "Wings-style rock" and "Beatles-style harmonies" to "understated intimacy, melody-driven storytelling, and character songs."

Track listing for "The Boys of Dungeon Lane":

1. As You Lie There
2. Lost Horizon
3. Days We Left Behind
4. Ripples in a Pond
5. Mountain Top
6. Down South
7. We Two
8. Come Inside
9. Never Know
10. Home to Us
11. Life Can Be Hard
12. First Star of the Night
13. Salesman Saint
14. Momma Gets By