Paul McCartney continues to embrace his ’80s with a burst of activity of someone five decades younger. The ageless wonder—he turns 84 on June 18, 2026—announced a new studio album today (March 26), The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The news of the title, scheduled for release on May 29 via Capitol Records, arrived after a brief teaser campaign of images from his years growing up in Liverpool. The first single, “Days We Left Behind,” had its debut on 2:50 p.m. in the U.K. on BBC Radio Merseyside, because as one of the station’s hosts said, “the song is all about Liverpool, all about [McCartney’s] roots, and he wanted the people of Merseyside to hear it before anybody else.” Listen to it below.

The album is described as “a collection of rare and revealing glimpses into memories never-before shared, along with some newly inspired love songs, from one of the most culturally significant figures of our time. These extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania.” It’s coming in a variety of formats, and is available to order in the U.S. here, in Canada [coming here], and in the U.K. [coming here].

In a trailer made for the album, McCartney says, “Looking back on your life, you go, ‘Wow, did we really do that?’ All of that comes flooding back. It’s like a dream.”

Speaking about “Days We Left Behind”: “This is very much a memory song for me. 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.”

From the March 26 announcement: The Boys of Dungeon Lane was first brought into existence five years ago when Paul met producer Andrew Watt for a cup of tea and an exchange of ideas. While playing around on the guitar during the meeting, Paul happened upon a chord that even he—the world’s most successful living songwriter—didn’t recognize. Undeterred and driven by his experimental nature, Paul carried on changing one note, then another, until he had a three-chord sequence—which Watt suggested they should record.

This session yielded the album’s opening track, “As You Lie There.” Encouraged by his new producer, Paul would flesh out the new track, playing the majority of instruments – much in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney. So began the journey of what became his 18th studio album credited solely to Paul McCartney.

His packed schedule meant that the album was recorded in tight and efficient sessions between legs of global tour dates spanning five years and alternating between Los Angeles and Sussex. With no record label pressure and no deadline, the pair were able to make the album to their own timeline and satisfaction.

Paul McCartney The Boys of Dungeon Lane 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. Sailsman Saint
14. Momma Gets By

Already this year, a new documentary, Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, that focuses on his Wings era, began streaming on Amazon Prime, following a two-day exclusive in theaters. [Our review.]

On March 17, McCartney announced a pair of concerts to be held on March 27-28 at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre on March 27-28. Fans had to register for a chance to even get the opportunity to purchase tickets. Not surprisingly, they sold-out instantly. It’s expected that he’ll be announcing more 2026 concerts.

McCartney’s 2025 book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, is available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here. A Wings anthology is available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.