Paul McCartney revisits Liverpool childhood on new album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane

Paul McCartney has announced his new album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, set for release on 29th May via MPL/Capitol Records.

The record marks his first full-length solo release in five years, following McCartney III, and finds him working closely with producer Andrew Watt. Their collaboration stretches back several years, beginning with informal studio sessions that would ultimately spark the project.

One of those early moments proved decisive. While experimenting on guitar, McCartney stumbled across an unfamiliar chord progression, something that immediately caught both his and Watt’s attention. The idea was quickly recorded, evolving into ‘As You Lie There’ and providing the creative foundation for the album as a whole.

In keeping with his most personal work, McCartney plays the majority of instruments himself, echoing the self-contained approach of his 1970 debut McCartney. It is his 18th album released under his own name, a body of work that continues to reflect a balance between instinct and craft.

The recording process was shaped by his ongoing touring commitments, with sessions taking place in short, focused bursts across five years. Moving between studios in Los Angeles and Sussex, the material gradually took form in the gaps between global tour dates.

The album’s title, The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, draws directly from McCartney’s Liverpool upbringing, anchoring the project in memory and place. That thread runs through lead single ‘Days We Left Behind’, which reflects on youth, friendship and the enduring pull of the past.

“This is very much a memory song for me,” McCartney says. “The album title, ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, comes from a lyric in this track. I was thinking just that, 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 in. 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.”

Across The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, McCartney appears to lean into that reflective mode without becoming nostalgic for its own sake, using memory as a framework rather than a destination.

The Boys Of Dungeon Lane is released on 29th May.

Tracklist

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

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