“You created a standard,” Nasty says to Lavigne from a Los Angeles warehouse. Ultimately, it’s Lavigne’s steadfast determination that paved a path forward for new artists such as Rico Nasty. It took instances such as bringing her own clothing to a photo shoot because the tops on the rack didn’t suit her and defending her teenage rage to her parents to maintain that vision. Along the way, her abilities were questioned regularly, and writing the music she wanted to became a challenge. But it also ignited a journey that required strength and resolve to execute her vision. Its release saw her dominate the pop-punk landscape on a global scale, being one of few women to do so successfully. After a decade of artistic exploration and soul-searching, the self-proclaimed "motherf*ckin princess" has reclaimed her pop-punk crown.Twenty years ago, Avril Lavigne began a legacy with her debut album, Let Go. Kiss-off anthems "Bite Me" and "F.U." are thrilling singalong highlights, while the title track drops classic "na-na-na" chants through an explosive surge of punk electricity and quotable lines like "When I think of you/I just wanna throw up." Love Sux brims with such attitude on a dozen juicy takedowns, combining buoyant punk-influenced energy and Lavigne's trademark spunk and unfiltered defiance. Aside from that almost- blink-182 reunion, Love Sux works best when Lavigne has main billing, her rage propelled by chugging riffs and Barker's trademark pogo drums. The Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear collaborations fall a little flat – Lavigne doesn't need them at all – while an endearing duet with Mark Hoppus ("All I Wanted") forms an appropriate bridge of generational nostalgia that'll be a highlight for fans missing the early 2000s. Instead, it’s raucous anthems aplenty with the help of Barker and various associates within his revivalist orbit, which works to varying degrees of success. Indeed, she’s so focused on the snarling attitude that there’s not a single slow song on the entire album ("Avalanche" and "Dare to Love Me" come close but they quickly expand to towering conclusions). With gloves off and F-bombs at the ready, Lavigne and pop-punk's cool uncle du jour press pause on her late-era maturation (last heard on 2019's triumphant Head Above Water) and get back to bratty, rebellious basics. Together, the pair deliver an unrelenting blast of pissed-off breakup anthems for the frustrated and exhausted. Incidentally, it was also the first time she worked with her new label boss and this album's drummer, Travis Barker. On her previous albums, there’s been a clear split between the two Avrils: the snotty punk who twirls gum on one finger while flipping you the bird with the other hand, and the earnest, ultra-emotive power balladeer singing "I'm with You." On her seventh set, Love Sux, Lavigne has put all her eggs in the former basket, delivering a no-frills blast for fans of "Sk8r Boi," "He Wasn’t," and "Girlfriend." In fact, the album that "Girlfriend" called home, 2007's The Best Damn Thing, might be the last time she sounded this fun and carefree while rocking out.
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