Music icon Paul McCartney, to the delight of fans, released the album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane", published by Capitol Records (Universal Music Group). This release was previously announced with the singles "Days We Left Behind" and "Home to Us", a collaboration with Ringo Starr. From the moment it was announced, The Boys of Dungeon Lane generated huge fan anticipation and media interest around the world, and that excitement peaked when on May 5, Paul McCartney surprised 50 lucky fans by inviting them to an exclusive first listen, where he joined them in Studio 2 of Abbey Road and shared the stories behind the new songs. Delighted fans describe the experience as an unimaginable dream come true, and the great news continues as the world has just received the long-awaited album.
Following the critically acclaimed 'Days We Left Behind', new single 'Home to Us' is Paul's first duet with Ringo Starr and features backing vocals from Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri. The song was built around a drum part that Paul invited Ringo to record for the album, with producer Andrew Watt, and is the only song on The Boys of Dungeon Lane to feature a guest drummer. Paul plays most of the instruments on the new release, in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut album 'McCartney'.
Speaking about 'Home to Us', Paul said: "Ringo went into the studio and played a bit of drums. I told Andrew we should make a song and send it to him. So this song was done entirely with Ringo in mind. When I was writing the song, I talked about where we came from. Like a lot of people, you come from nothing and you build yourself up. Ringo was from Dingle and it was a really rough place. He said that he was intercepted on his way home, because it was crazy for us. I made a song around that idea and he sent me back a version where he just added a few verses to the chorus. I called him and he said he wanted to sing the whole song. So we took my first verse, Ringo's second verse, and then we got a duet. We've never done that before. Then we wanted backing vocals and I came up with the idea that it would be nice to hear female voices. Chrissie Hynde said she would do it and so did Sharleen Spiteri, they're friends. And that's how they did it."
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is not only Paul McCartney's first new solo album in more than five years, it's a revelatory collection of never-before-shared stories, personal memories and newly inspired love songs from one of the most culturally significant artists of our time. Turning his gaze inward, Paul returns to the formative years that shaped both his life and the very foundations of modern popular culture. The album is probably his most personal and introspective release to date – a collection of untold stories that take the listener back to where it all began. The new songs show Paul in a candid, vulnerable and thoughtful mood, as he writes with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, his parents' perseverance and his early adventures with George Harrison and John Lennon, long before the world had even heard of Beatlemania. "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" is the story before that story.
Photographer credit - Mary McCartney © 2026 Mary McCartney, Universal Music.rs
"The Boys of Dungeon Lane is a joyous late-career reminder of McCartney's timeless melodic genius" Daily Telegraph ★★★★★
"McCartney is back at his best" The i Paper ★★★★
"his talent for melody has not faded at all" BBC
"McCartney's Best Album of the 21st Century" Variety
"an album about the transience of life that still leaves you feeling optimistic; in short, pure Macca" The Times ★★★★
"his gift for melody continues to amaze" The Guardian ★★★★
"On the album, Macca delivers some of his most personal and introspective songs in years" The Independent ★★★★
"late-career masterpiece" Rolling Stone ★★★★
