Billy Idol is still sneering, still strutting, and still swinging fists on his first full-length record in over a decade. Don’t call Dream Into It a comeback though because he never went away. It’s a full-throttle, soul-baring chronicle of Idol’s wild ride, from squatter-punk beginnings to MTV superstardom, through the drug-fueled chaos and crashes, and out the other side into hard-earned clarity.

“This album tells my story,” Idol says. “But it’s not just about where I’ve been - it’s about still pushing forward.” That push is palpable on every track of Dream Into It, a 21st-century punk pop blast co-helmed by Idol’s longtime guitar-slinging partner Steve Stevens and producer Tommy English (K.Flay, BØRNS). The result is a record that’s earnest and reflective, loud and lived-in, with help from guests Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett, and Alison Mosshart of the Kills and Dead Weather adding extra voltage.

The heart of it all, though, is Idol himself. He sounds revitalized and invigorated as he tears through tales of glory, regret, and survival. On the autobiographical “Still Dancing,” he charts the arc of his life in one epic breath. “It’s really a reflection of my whole journey,” he explains. “From the punk rock period through to now. And I’m still looking toward the future, still living the life I set out to live.” The song opens in the grime of '70s London - plastic bag in hand, couch-surfing, sneered at by bosses and landlords. Then punk happened. “It gave me an opening,” he says. “You threw caution to the wind, believed in the music, and grabbed on for dear life.”

But Dream Into It doesn’t shy away from the darker chapters. Idol stares down his well-publicized self-destruction with unsparing honesty. His voice, which is wiser now but still burning with that unmistakable growl, carries the weight of the past and the fight to keep moving forward. The album is packed with the kind of pulse-pounding anthems and razor-sharp hooks Idol made his name on, with the amps perpetually cranked to 11. Every song is a reminder that Billy Idol never really left, he just took a moment to reckon with it all. In addition to the new album, Idol and Stevens are fresh off a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination for the Class of 2025, a long-overdue tip of the hat to one of rock’s most electrifying duos.