Rejoice, Avril Lavigne is here to save 2022! For those of us who repped the hot pink and black striped leggings, lace gloves, “angel with attitude” and Emily the Strange merch in our youth are being shot back into pop-punk nostalgia with Avril’s latest ‘Love Sux’.
There’s a big “The Best Damn Thing” vibe throughout the album as Avril channels her cute bubblegum pop energy alongside fun gritty rock hooks and grunty melodies. First single ‘Bite Me’ is just purely addictive for any of us who never grew out of our pop-punk emo phase.
While the sound isn’t anything new, it’s a modern-day polished sound of old school pop-punk, erring more on the pop side in its production. The themes are more mature and vulnerable, as seen in ‘Avalanche’ “I say that I’m just fine, but I don’t feel alright on the inside” and ‘Déjà Vu where Avril discusses the cycle of a toxic lover “It’s the same thing over and over again / Déjà vu / Pills and alcohol / Excuses, yeah, I’ve heard them all / Insane, expecting you to change.”
If anyone can get away with bringing early 2000s pop-punk back it’s Avril. She’s joined by the legendary Mark Hoppus in ‘All I Wanted’ which is such an epic mixture of Mark and Avril’s style, the fast-paced vocal delivery from Mark a signature sound.
The album retreats into heartache ballad territory with ‘Dare To Love Me’ which channels ‘Head Above Water’ from Avril’s previous release showcasing that the pop-punk queen can deliver an emotional ballad just as strong as her signature energetic and quirky tracks.
Ending on a profanity-filled fast-paced explosion of sass and cheek ‘Break Of A Heartache” rounds out a strong return of Avril’s roots, boosted and polished by modern-day pop production, it’s overall a fun, enjoyable release that’s bound to produce an epic live show.
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