Released: February 25
Avril Lavigne adds another pop-punk masterpiece to her arsenal with seventh album ‘Love Sux’.
Arriving three years after her previous offering ‘Head Above Water’, the singer-songwriter flips the mellow sound of that LP on its head for a 12-track collection of guitar-driven rockers.
Opening with the racing Cannonball, Avril rarely pauses for breath across recent singles Bite Me and Love It When You Hate Me featuring blackbear – one of three collaborations on the record.
Second cut Bois Lie sees Avril team up Machine Gun Kelly for a stomping back-and-forth tackling a relationship laced with secrecy, while All I Wanted with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus is a soaring ode to true love.
There’s not a single song here that couldn’t be released as a single, with title track Love Sux, Kiss Me Like The World Is Ending and F.U. among the strongest and most instant moments on the album.
But what’s most noticeable is the level of life and energy in every recording – something that’s not been so well captured since Avril’s 2007 LP ‘The Best Damn Thing’.
If there’s one sore point, it’s the lack of a powerhouse ballad in the vein of When You’re Gone, Wish You Were Here or Hush Hush, which would have rounded off ‘Love Sux’ perfectly.
More than anything, though, we’re just thrilled Avril has her mojo back and, quite honestly, she’s never sounded better!
‘Love Sux’ is available on CD and cassette.
