Paul Mccartney - the Boys of Dungeon Lane

Paul McCartney has announced his first new album in six years, described as a "collection of revealing glimpses" into "never-before shared" memories.

The Boys Of Dungeon Lane was inspired by his childhood in post-war Liverpool, and named after a road in Speke that leads to the Mersey shore, where the young McCartney would spend afternoons bird-watching.

The first single, "Days We Left Behind," premiered on BBC Radio Merseyside, and finds the singer in a wistful, nostalgic mood.

Over a simple acoustic backing, he reminisces about "smokey bars and cheap guitars", observing that while Liverpool is always changing, "nothing can erase the days we left behind".

Singing in a delicate falsetto, his voice conveys some of the frailty of age, lending the song a powerful emotional punch.

Elsewhere, he offers an intimate reflection on the beginnings of the Beatles, at his childhood home in Liverpool.

"We met on Forthlin Road / And wrote a secret code / Never to be spoken."

Along with memories of his early days in music, included are some newly inspired love songs. Crafted by one of the most culturally significant figures of our time, these extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania. Pressed on black vinyl, the album includes a 12-page lyric booklet and embossed cover artwork.