After almost six years, Paul McCartney, 83, will release a new album, the eighteenth in his solo career, as the artist announced in a statement published on his official website this Thursday. It will be launched on May 29 and will be named The Boys of Dungeon Lanea reference to the route that runs from Liverpool to the Speke coast, the area where the ancient beatle spent his childhood. He has also previewed the first song on the album, Days We Left Behind (The days we left behind)with a clearly melancholic and nostalgic tone and the prominence of an acoustic guitar and a piano. McCartney’s voice sounds proudly aged when he sings: “Looking back, black and white, memories of my past, smoky bars and cheap guitars. / I didn’t buy anything made to last. Nothing stays. Nothing comes to my mind. / No one can erase the days we left behind.” The beautiful melody of Days We Left Behind can only come from one of the best composers in pop history.
The song can now be heard on digital platforms. His last solo release was McCartney III, in 2020, continuing the trilogy of McCartney y McCartney II.
“This is very much a memory song for me,” McCartney writes in the statement. “The title of the album comes from a lyric in this song. I was thinking about just that, about the days I left behind, and I often wonder if I’m just writing about the past, but then I think: how can you write about anything else? It’s essentially a lot of memories of Liverpool. It includes a bit about John (Lennon) and Forthlin Road, which is the street he used to live on. Dungeon Lane is close by.”
The entire album, according to the statement, is precisely a review of the formative years that shaped his life, “a collection of never-before-shared memories, along with some newly inspired love songs.” In the lyrics of the new work, McCartney writes about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents and the early adventures he shared with George Harrison and John Lennon. Most of the instruments on the album are played by the musician himself, as he has already done on other solo albums, especially at the beginning of his career.
The announcement of the album coincides with the recent release of Man on the Runa documentary directed by Morgan Neville that portrays how Paul continued his career in the years after The Beatles broke up. Additionally, McCartney will be played by Paul Mescal in director Sam Mendes’ biographical film series, The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Eventwhich is scheduled to premiere in 2028.
The album was produced by Andrew Watt, a 35-year-old American, an expert in resurrecting veterans’ careers. Watt has given a boost to the careers of Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, The Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam, producing their albums. The project came about when McCartney and Watt met five years ago to exchange ideas, and McCartney struck a chord he didn’t recognize. The pair recorded the album between dates of McCartney’s five-year world tour, at studios in Los Angeles and Sussex.
Paul McCartney performed in December 2024 in Madrid in the context of his last world tour. The concert was full of songs by The Beatles. The reviews were excellent. The other beatle alive, Ringo Starr, 85 years old, also announced, two weeks ago, a new job. Is called Long Long Road and will be released on April 24.