Love Sux
In 2002, Avril Lavigne released *Let Go*, her first LP and the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. She was 17, angsty, with an undeniable ear for hook, melody, and articulating adolescent rage in a way that made her equal parts adored and a punk pariah. Now, on her seventh studio album, *Love Sux*, Lavigne has shown that those frustrations never really go away, so you might as well have some fun writing about them in the process. Produced by Warped Tour veteran John “Feldy” Feldmann and her new beau, MOD SUN, *Love Sux* boasts pure pop-punk anthems through and through in “Kiss Me Like the World Is Ending,” “Bois Lie” featuring Machine Gun Kelly, and “Bite Me,” where her soaring lyric soprano reaches new heights on her characteristic “aye-yuh” notes. Elsewhere, shades of her past eras flourish: The cheerleading cadence of “Cannonball” recalls “Girlfriend”; “F.U.” is a continuation of “What the Hell.” Bolstered by a series of collaborations and blink-182\'s Travis Barker on the drums, Lavigne ventures into new territory, too, like in the buzzy synths of “Avalanche” or the rap-punk of “Love It When You Hate Me” featuring blackbear.
The star has signed to Travis Barker's label DTA Records for a comeback that combines legendary guests with thrilling relative newcomers
Not only does she look exactly the same 20 years on, the music sounds the same too
Marr applies his scattershot sonics to matters of the pandemic era, while pop-punk queen Avril Lavigne offers a heady dose of nostalgia
High-energy bangers follow one after the other as the Canadian returns to her pop-punk roots
Capitalizing on early 2000s pop-punk nostalgia, 'Love Sux' is an algorithm-appeasing record that feels like the most impersonal Avril Lavigne has ever been.
Pop-punk princess misses opportunity to be crowned queen. New music review by Harry Thorfinn-George