Billy Idol previews The Roadside, his first new music in seven years, with the first single from the EP, “Bitter Taste.”
The track, recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, finds Idol looking back at his near-fatal 1990 motorcycle accident, a crash that almost resulted in Idol losing a leg and left him unable to walk for nearly a year.
“I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). So, it seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” Idol said in a statement. “Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left on that roadside. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end; it was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside I left behind the irreverent youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.”
“Bitter Taste” features Idol’s longtime guitarist and co-writer Steve Stevens and was produced by Butch Walker, who also produced the EP.
The Roadside EP, available to preorder now ahead of its September 17th release, marks Idol’s first release on George Harrison’s Dark Horse Records, recently revitalized by his son Dhani. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Billy Idol to the Dark Horse Records family,” Dhani Harrison said in a statement. “Billy is a legend, and his music couldn’t fit the Dark Horse persona any better. I’ve loved his music throughout my whole life, so to be able to give this new music a home on our historic label is a massive honor.”
The Roadside EP Tracklist
1. Rita Hayworth
2. Bitter Taste
3. U Don’t Have to Kiss Me Like That
4. Baby Put Your Clothes Back On
Billy Idol Tour Dates
August 12 – Airway Heights, WA @ Northern Quest Resort
August 15 – Tulalip, WA @ Tulalip Resort Casino
August 17 – Manson, WA @ Deep Water Amphitheater
August 19 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
August 21 – Napa, CA @ Oxbow Riverstage
September 4 – Palmer, AK @ Alaska Sate Fair
September 18 – West Springfield, MA @ The Big E
September 19 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 22 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
September 24 – Roanoke, VA @ Elmwood Park
September 25 – Charles Town, WV @ Hollywood Casino
October 16-17, 22-23 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan
October 26 – Playa Mujeres, MX @ The Sands Festival
From Rolling Stone US
