Paul McCartney is only two years removed from the release of his latest solo album, 2018’s Egypt Station. Now he has another one on the way, and it’s a continuation of a classic series: McCartney III (which follows 1970’s McCartney and 1980’s McCartney II) will be released on December 11.
McCartney said the album came from a fun stretch with no real end goal in mind:
“I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day. I had to do a little bit of work on some film music and that turned into the opening track, and then when it was don,e I thought, ‘What will I do next?’ I had some stuff I’d worked on over the years, but sometimes time would run out and it would be left half-finished, so I started thinking about what I had. Each day I’d start recording with the instrument I wrote the song on and then gradually layer it all up, it was a lot of fun. It was about making music for yourself rather than making music that has to do a job. So, I just did stuff I fancied doing. I had no idea this would end up as an album.”
Press materials describe the album as an “eclectic collection of spontaneous songs” and “a stripped back, self-produced and, quite literally, solo work marking the opening of a new decade, in the tradition of 1970’s McCartney and 1980’s McCartney II.” Most of the songs have McCartney on vocals and piano or guitar as a foundation, with overdubs of bass, drumming, and other instruments to flesh things out.
Check out the album art below.
McCartney III is out 12/11 via Capitol Records. Pre-order it here.
