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 on 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 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.”

Speaking at a special fan album playback event on May 5 at London’s Abbey Road Studios, McCartney shared news of a first-ever duet with Ringo Starr. Titled “Home to Us,” the song features backing vocals from Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri, leader of the Scottish rock band, Texas. The song was formed around a drum track Paul invited Ringo to record for the album with producer Andrew Watt, and marks the only song on Dungeon Lane that features a guest drummer. Paul plays the majority of the instruments on the new record – much in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney.

Of “Home to Us,” released on May 8, McCartney said: “Ringo went round to the studio and drummed a bit. I said to Andrew, we should make a track and send it to him. So this song is done totally with Ringo in mind. In writing the song I’m talking about where we came from. In common with a lot of people, you come from nothing and you build yourself up. Ringo was from the Dingle, and that was well hard. He said he used to get mugged coming home, because he worked. Even though it was crazy, it was home to us. I made the song around that idea and sent it to Ringo. He sent me back a version where he just added some lines to the chorus, so I thought, maybe he doesn’t like it. I rang him and he said he thought I only wanted him to sing one or two lines, and I said I’d love to hear him sing the whole thing. So we took my first line, Ringo’s second line, and then we had a duet. We’d never done that before. Then we wanted some backing vocals and I had the idea it would be nice to hear girls. Chrissie said she’d do it, and Sharleen, they’re mates. So they did it.”

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 here, and in the U.K. 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.]

McCartney played a pair of concerts on March 27-28 at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre. Not surprisingly, they sold-out instantly. It’s expected that he’ll be announcing more 2026 shows.

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.