Written by Killian O’Neil
It’s been over two decades and the lyrics: “he was a boy and she was a girl / can I make it any more obvious? / He was a punk and she did ballet / what more can I say?” have been living rent-free in my head, as well as every other girl for the last twenty years. The song, “Sk8er Boi,” was the anthem of every girl in the early 00s, which was released off of Avril Lavigne‘s debut album Let Go in 2002, which has sold over 16 million copies to date and has made the album the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist.
Lavigne has come back with a vengeance, and frankly, it was only a matter of time with the current wave of pop-punk music making a comeback. This punk princess or shall I say queen has released Love Sux, a record that we all so desperately needed to hear.
Listening to her music is like reading from your own diary, the good, the bad, and the ugly. There is no question that she has returned to her original pop-punk roots with her upbeat energy and love ballads. Lavigne packs this album with lyrics that are not only empowering to women everywhere but also a reminder that men are not the sun and you can accomplish anything (with or without a man by your side).
Love Sux was co-produced by the legendary John Feldman and Travis Barker with some help from boyfriend, Mod Sun. Lavigne decided to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the industry right now including Machine Gun Kelly, Blackbear, and Mark Hoppus on this album.
This record will be a fast fan favorite for anyone who has been craving old-school Avril, the pop-punk emo queen that we all grew up listening to. Each and every track is so different and vulnerable, it’s almost impossible for it not to be relatable. The words she has strung together is simply brilliant between her energetic single, “Bite Me” with lyrics of “Hey you/you should’ve known better/better to fuck with someone like me/hey you/forever and ever you’re gonna wish I was your wifey”, transitioning to her slow power ballad about love, “Dare To Love Me.”
“Dare To Love Me” is my personal favorite on this album with lyrics speaking to the heart, ripping open an emotional place that not many want to ever go to. The lyrics that spoke the most are “I try to let down my guard/but I cover up my scars/yeah, there’s no denying/it’s not that I don’t care/it’s just I’m fucking scared.” It’s terrifying. The expressions are so honest that you’ll be needing a box of tissues by the end of it.
Avril Lavigne set the bar twenty years ago when she earned the title of punk princess, which has now transcended into a punk queen and continues to raise it with this album.
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