Eighties rocker Billy Idol has announced the long-awaited follow-up to his 2014 album Kings & Queens of the Underground with the arrival of "Bitter Taste" — a new single with Steven Sebring-directed visuals to match. It's the renowned British-American musician/actor's first new music in seven years.
"Bitter Taste" comes ahead of Idol's new EP, The Roadside, which is due September 17 via the George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records. Produced by Butch Walker, The Roadside will also feature the musician's longtime co-writer and guitarist Steve Stevens.
Idol's near-fatal motorcycle crash in 1990 served as the inspiration for "Bitter Taste," which resulted in him being unable to walk for a year and almost losing his leg.
Of the new track, the artist said in a statement:
I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). It seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident. 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.
A deep reckoning with mortality? Sounds very pandemic-era indeed.
Watch the video for "Bitter Taste" below and check out the tracklisting for The Roadside.
Most recently, Idol featured on Miley Cyrus' 2020 album Plastic Hearts.
The Roadside:
1. Rita Hayworth
2. Bitter Taste
3. U Don't Have to Kiss Me Like That
4. Baby Put Your Clothes Back On
Pre-order The Roadside.
"Bitter Taste" comes ahead of Idol's new EP, The Roadside, which is due September 17 via the George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records. Produced by Butch Walker, The Roadside will also feature the musician's longtime co-writer and guitarist Steve Stevens.
Idol's near-fatal motorcycle crash in 1990 served as the inspiration for "Bitter Taste," which resulted in him being unable to walk for a year and almost losing his leg.
Of the new track, the artist said in a statement:
I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). It seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident. 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.
A deep reckoning with mortality? Sounds very pandemic-era indeed.
Watch the video for "Bitter Taste" below and check out the tracklisting for The Roadside.
Most recently, Idol featured on Miley Cyrus' 2020 album Plastic Hearts.
The Roadside:
1. Rita Hayworth
2. Bitter Taste
3. U Don't Have to Kiss Me Like That
4. Baby Put Your Clothes Back On
Pre-order The Roadside.
