Avril Lavigne: Love Sux music review — Superlative effort from an artist who's returned to ascend her pop punk princess throne

Avril Lavigne burst into the scene in the early 2000s with her distinctive pop-punk style and unmistakable originality. Often called the “anti-Britney”, the Canadian singer stood out in a crowd of cookie cutter popstars, scrambling to maximise their long blonde tresses and short, glitzy dresses avatar. She inhabited the punk attitude like few women did in the mainstream music scene then and supported it with phenomenal guitar-driven music. Unlike the goth and punk style sporting women, Avril Lavigne owned it like few others and forced us all to sit up and take notice. True to the rebel streak that drove her, Avril refused to be clubbed in with the other teenybopper sensations, focusing instead on finding genuine expression in her songwriting and her voice. You could spot her anywhere with her smoky kohl-lined eyes and colourful highlights, but it was her vocals that stayed with you. Making her debut 20 years ago with Let Go, Avril has championed the feminine point of view with a rich soprano that resonates even today. Having pushed her sound through early albums in the alternative rock and pop punk genres, Avril navigated softer sounds as she matured with age. Twenty years on, like the true boss lady that she is, Avril has returned to her early days of pop punk with an album that screams heartbreak and its struggles: Love Sux. Released on 25 February, the album contains within it the driving sounds of unabashed riffing and robust power chords, setting a largely punk-like tempo to all matters of the heart. By the time Love Sux was released, we had already heard the lead singles ‘Bite Me’, which was released in November 2021 and ‘Love It When You Hate Me’ featuring Blackbear, which was released in January 2022. Avril established that she was in no mood to sound meek, that even in her vulnerability lies her strength. She opens the 34-minute-long album with an explosive song that’s appropriately titled ‘Cannonball’. With fuzzy feedback amp and a crackling electric guitar, Avril doesn’t waste time in ascending back to the pop punk princess throne she’s accustomed to occupying. ‘Cannonball’ also sets the tone for the rest of the album, creating that it was on the embers of a breakup. But it is far from mopey.

If anything, Love Sux is a 12-song ode to empowerment, to picking up the pieces and moving on. It is refreshingly honest with a generous dose of light-hearted singing that conveys some very heavy and profound messages.

We love her in her rebellion mode with ‘FU’ and ‘Bois Lie’ (feat. Machine Gun Kelly) where she embodies the Avril of the 2000s with her enviable devil-may-care attitude. Anthemic and every big over-the-top, here’s a woman with a broken heart, grabbing her emotions by their horns and forging ahead in her path of self-discovery.

A good part of the last decade has not been easy for Avril. Marriages and divorces, coupled with a Lyme disease diagnosis meant putting her life on hold to regroup. She resurrected her career with an album fittingly titled Head Above Water in 2019; one which was filled with heartfelt vocals and ballad-like tones. Now three years on and a steady relationship to boot, she has returned to her core after years of softening her stance and attempting to blend with a more mainstream sound. This sonic shift is a move in the right direction. Songs like ‘Dare to Love’ in Love Sux is touchingly vulnerable, giving us access to how she navigates the complexities of an identity crisis against the backdrop of a heart-breaking situation. The sonic shift towards the alternative rock genre amplifies the importance of Avril being in control of her journey to self-awareness. And Love Sux is a celebration of that. There is angst, there is frustration, there is intolerance and a generous helping of gumption. To call the shots in your own life is a surprisingly hard thing to do when we feel knocked down. But we get up again, dust ourselves and dare to live. In ‘_Love It When You Hate M_e’, Avril teases with more pop than punk, showcasing that she can be a pop icon without being cheesy. ‘Bite Me’, released prior to the album, is such a delightful way to essentially tell your ex to kiss you a**. It’s street smart without being crass, ballsy without being preachy and honest without being vitriolic. ‘Avalanche’ too is vintage Avril, reminding us why we became fans of her work in the first place. ‘Love Sux’ is a superlative effort from an artist of Avril Lavigne’s calibre. She hasn’t lost control over her voice, nor has she lost her voice of control. It is unbridled in attitude, measured in talent and clever in execution. It is a reminder of the force that Avril has been and why she cannot be written off for a long time to come. Listen to the album here. Senior journalist Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri has spent a good part of two decades chronicling the arts, culture and lifestyles. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.