Paul McCartney announces third album in trilogy of solo records, McCartney III

While we all made banana bread during lockdown, Sir Paul McCartney was hard at work on a new album.

Fifty years since McCartney released his self-titled first solo album, he's back with another. On Wednesday, the iconic singer/songwriter announced the upcoming release of McCartney III — the third album in his trilogy of solo albums that also features 1970's McCartney and 1980's (you guessed it) McCartney II. The new record will be released by Capitol Records on Dec. 11 and feature songs the former Beatles vocalist and bassist wrote alone during the coronavirus lockdown.

Recorded earlier this year in Sussex, England, McCartney III is mostly built from live takes of McCartney on vocals and guitar or piano, overdubbing his bass playing, drumming, etc. atop that foundation. Things kicked off for the singer/songwriter when he decided to re-explore an unreleased track from the early '90s, "When Winter Comes."

“I was living lockdown life on my farm with my family and I would go to my studio every day," McCartney said of the new record in a statement. "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 done 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.”

McCartney III is out Dec. 11.

Related content:

• Paul McCartney: The exclusive EW Q&A
• Ringo Starr and Jimmy Fallon give 'Yellow Submarine' a Classroom Instruments cover
• Ringo Starr's 70th birthday concert: Guests galore, and Paul McCartney, too!