The Boys of Dungeon Lane
Studio album by
Paul McCartney
Released 29 May 2026 (2026-05-29)
Recorded 2021–2025[1]
Studio Hogg Hill Mill (Icklesham)
  • Abbey Road (London)
  • Metropolis (London)
  • Henson (Los Angeles)
  • Gold Tooth (Los Angeles)
  • Diamond Dust (Los Angeles)
Genre Pop rock[2]
Length 47:07
Label Capitol
Producer
  • Paul McCartney
  • Andrew Watt
Paul McCartney chronology
Man on the Run (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(2026)		 The Boys of Dungeon Lane
(2026)
Paul McCartney studio album chronology
McCartney III
(2020)		 The Boys of Dungeon Lane
(2026)
Singles from The Boys of Dungeon Lane
  1. "Days We Left Behind"
    Released: 26 March 2026
  2. "Home to Us"
    Released: 8 May 2026
  3. "Come Inside"
    Released: 29 May 2026

The Boys of Dungeon Lane is the twentieth solo studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 29 May 2026 through Capitol Records. Co-produced with Andrew Watt in sessions dating back to 2021, it was announced on 26 March 2026 along with the release of its lead single, "Days We Left Behind". The second single, "Home to Us", is a duet with Ringo Starr.

Background

"The boys of Dungeon Lane" was a lyric used by McCartney in the song "In Liverpool", a 1991 demo.[3] Dungeon Lane is a road in the Speke area of Liverpool, and the album is generally inspired by McCartney's childhood memories in the area.[4] The lane leads from Speke to Oglet Shore on the Mersey,[5] an area that was popular with birdwatchers.[3] Before the album's announcement, McCartney teased the album using bird emojis on his social media.[3]

On 25 March 2026, McCartney's brother Mike made a social media post about posters being put up around Liverpool featuring the artwork for the album, and stating that his son, Josh, was the designer.[3] The artwork is inspired by Liverpool's street signs and features the Speke postcode L24.[6]

Production

The album is co-produced by Andrew Watt. McCartney and Watt first met in 2021, and their first recording session together resulted in the album opener "As You Lie There". McCartney played the majority of instruments. It was recorded in sessions between legs of his Got Back tour, spanning five years and alternating between Los Angeles and McCartney's Hogg Hill Mill studio in East Sussex.[3][7]

"Home to Us" features Ringo Starr on drums and vocals,[8] with backing vocals by Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri.[9]

Promotion and release

The lead single, "Days We Left Behind", was released on 26 March 2026.[10] Early promotion of the album included updated Google Street View imagery of Dungeon Lane.[11] On 5 May, McCartney hosted an album listening party at Abbey Road Studios.[12]

The second single, "Home to Us", was released on 8 May,[13] and the album was released on 29 May.[6] Jacaranda Records hosted the first public listening event of the album on 22 May at its flagship venue The Jacaranda, a bar and club long associated with McCartney's early musical career.[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.7/10[25]
Metacritic 86/100[26]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic StarStarStarStarHalf star[15]
Financial Times StarStarStarStar[16]
The Guardian StarStarStarStar[17]
The Independent StarStarStarStar[18]
Mojo StarStarStarStar[19]
MusicOMH StarStarStarStar[20]
Record Collector StarStarStarStar[21]
Rolling Stone StarStarStarStarHalf star[22]
The Telegraph StarStarStarStarStar[23]
The Times StarStarStarStar[24]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Boys of Dungeon Lane received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from fourteen critic scores.[26] The review aggregator Any Decent Music gave the album a weighted average score of 7.7 out of 10 from sixteen critic scores.[25]

In a 5-star review, Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane is certainly as good as anything [McCartney] has given us in the last 50 years."[23] A review in Paste assessed, "Two Paul McCartneys are battling for space on The Boys of Dungeon Lane. ... The first is an unabashed nostalgist, a genteel romantic. ... The other is, thankfully, a wild man—the same spirit that animated everything from the absurdist studio tinkering of 'You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)' to the clanging folk curiosity 'Wild Honey Pie'."[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul McCartney, except where noted[6][28]

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "As You Lie There"
  • Paul McCartney
  • Andrew Watt
 4:45
2. "Lost Horizon"   3:04
3. "Days We Left Behind"   3:18
4. "Ripples in a Pond"   2:43
5. "Mountain Top"   3:40
6. "Down South"   2:23
7. "We Two"
  • McCartney
  • Watt
 3:01
8. "Come Inside"
  • McCartney
  • Watt
 3:14
9. "Never Know"
  • McCartney
  • Watt
 4:15
10. "Home to Us" (with Ringo Starr)
  • McCartney
  • Watt
 3:12
11. "Life Can Be Hard"   3:15
12. "First Star of the Night"   2:57
13. "Salesman Saint"   3:19
14. "Momma Gets By"   4:04
Total length: 47:07
iTunes version
No. Title Length
15. "First Star of the Night" (Demo)  

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.[29]

  • Paul McCartney – vocals (all tracks); acoustic guitar (tracks 1–13), bass guitar (1–5, 7–14), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–7, 9, 10, 12, 13), drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11–13), piano (1, 3, 5, 8-11, 14), synthesizer (1, 5, 11), percussion (1, 5, 12), harpsichord (1, 5), shaker (1, 11), Rhodes (1), pump organ (3), maracas (4, 5, 11), Wurlitzer electronic piano (5, 8, 9), magnetic tape treatments (5, 9), tambourine (5, 11–13); bongos, Moog bass (5); Mellotron (7, 9, 11, 13), hand claps (8, 13); organ, recorder (9); spinet (13), nylon-string guitar (14)
  • Andrew Watt – electric guitar (1, 7, 9), synthesizer (1, 4, 10, 11), Wurlitzer electronic piano (1), Mellotron (4), tambourine (4, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (8, 10, 11), maracas (8), drums (9), magnetic tape treatments (9)
  • Ringo Starr – tambourine (1, 10); vocals, drums (10)
  • Mike Davis – trumpet (4, 13)
  • Nancy McCartney – spoken word (5)
  • Chrissie Hynde – background vocals (10)
  • Sharleen Spiteri – background vocals (10)
  • Ben Foster – conductor, co-arrangement (11, 13, 14)
  • Giles Martin – co-arrangement (11, 13, 14)
Production
  • Paul McCartney – production
  • Andrew Watt – production
  • Paul Lamalfa – engineering, mixing
  • Steve Orchard – engineering, mixing
  • Keith Smith – engineering assistance
  • Neil Dawes – engineering assistance
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – mastering
  • Marc VanGool – technician

References

  1. ^ "Paul Announces New Album – 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane'". Paul McCartney. News. 26 March 2026. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  2. ^ Bauder, David (27 May 2026). "Music Review: On Paul McCartney's 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane,' an ex-Beatle reminisces". Associated Press. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e Willman, Chris (26 March 2026). "Paul McCartney Releases New Single, 'Days We Left Behind,' to Be Followed by First Album in Nearly Six Years, 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane'". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  4. ^ Petridis, Alexis (26 March 2026). "Paul McCartney: Days We Left Behind review – this wistful, lovely song is as McCartney-esque as it's possible to be". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  5. ^ Brown, Faye (1 July 2019). "Memories 'shattered' as road to historic beach loved by Paul McCartney closed". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Trendell, Andrew (26 March 2026). "Paul McCartney goes back to his early life on new album 'The Boys Of Dungeon Lane' with nostalgic single 'Days We Left Behind'". NME. NME Networks. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 60624023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  7. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (26 March 2026). "Paul McCartney returns with poignant new single and major announcement". www.aol.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  8. ^ Pilley, Max (17 April 2026). "Paul McCartney's new album to feature collaboration with Ringo Starr". NME. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  9. ^ Shube, Will. "Paul McCartney Announces First-Ever Duet with Ringo Starr, "Home to Us"". FLOOD. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  10. ^ Savage, Mark (26 March 2026). "Paul McCartney announces nostalgic new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  11. ^ Paton, Ryan (26 March 2026). "Cryptic Google clue confirmed Paul McCartney's Liverpool tribute". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  12. ^ Khomami, Nadia (5 May 2026). "'It's a bit emotional': Paul McCartney plays new songs to fans at Abbey Road". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  13. ^ Staff, Rock Cellar Magazine (5 May 2026). "Paul McCartney Talks Duet with Ringo Starr". Rock Cellar Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  14. ^ "Sir Paul McCartney makes exciting Liverpool announcement". Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  15. ^ Collar, Matt (29 May 2026). "The Boys of Dungeon Lane - Paul McCartney". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  16. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (25 May 2025). "Paul McCartney, the Peter Pan of pop, reckons with old age on The Boys of Dungeon Lane — review". Financial Times. Nikkei, Inc. ISSN 0307-1766. OCLC 60638918. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  17. ^ Petridis, Alexis (25 May 2026). "Paul McCartney: The Boys of Dungeon Lane review – at 83, his gift for melody still astounds". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. eISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  18. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (25 May 2026). "Paul McCartney's new album is charming and, in places, quite sexy for an octogenarian". The Independent. Independent Digital News & Media. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Archived from the original on 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  19. ^ Cooper, Mark (22 May 2026) [in print: 7 May 2026]. "Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane Review: An unusually confessional blend of reminiscence and romance". Mojo. No. 392 (July 2026). London, United Kingdom: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 1351-0193. Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  20. ^ Murphy, John (25 May 2026). "Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. ISSN 2516-6220. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  21. ^ Easlea, Daryl (18 May 2026). "Paul McCartney | The Boys Of Dungeon Lane | Album Review". Record Collector. No. 584 (June 2026). London, United Kingdom: Diamond Publishing. ISSN 0261-250X. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  22. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (22 May 2026). "Paul McCartney Looks Back in Splendor With a New Solo Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. eISSN 3066-0580. OCLC 969027590. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  23. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (22 May 2026). "Paul and Ringo's reunion will put a smile on every Beatles fan's face". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  24. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (21 May 2026). "Paul McCartney's new album — from the beautiful to the ridiculous". The Times. News UK. ISSN 0140-0460. OCLC 61565875. Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  25. ^ a b "The Boys of Dungeon Lane by Paul McCartney reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  26. ^ a b "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  27. ^ Reed, Ryan (28 May 2026). "Paul McCartney, 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane' Album Review". Paste. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  28. ^ "The Boys of Dungeon Lane". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  29. ^ "The Boys of Dungeon Lane / Paul McCartney / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 28 May 2026.