Avril Lavigne’s fifth and self-titled album reminds audiences that celebrities we all knew and loved over a decade ago are still relevant.
The 29-year-old Canadian star, who’s most popular for singles such as “Sk8r Boi,” “My Happy Ending” and “Girlfriend,” hasn’t released an album since 2011, but she’s back with some songs that will remind listeners of some of her older music and other songs that are a bit different for her.
For those who think albums should rise and fall, “Avril Lavigne” is a perfect listen.
“Avril Lavigne,” which released Tuesday, begins with two singles released before the album came out. “Rock n’ Roll” sounds almost exactly like what listeners would expect of that title. The song is very edgy, rebellious and a bit similar to a previous single by Lavigne, “Best Damn Thing.”
It starts off the album with a positive and upbeat feeling as it transitions in to the next single, “Here’s to Never Growing Up.”
This song, which reached the No. 19 position on the American Top 40, is a bit of a ballad mixed with an anthem for a lot of people who are in their 20s. It has a very relaxing rock beat as Lavigne sings about letting go, living life the way she wants to and of course “never growing up.”
This song is very catchy, laid-back and will probably be in your head for the rest of the day after hearing it once.
Following this song is “17,” which is pretty cool because 17 is the age that Avril Lavigne started her music career – even though it has nothing to do with the song.
In “17,” Lavigne reminisces about a relationship she had that she always thought would last forever, but alas she was only 17. Lavigne doesn’t seem bitter or anything similar to that, but she does allude to the idea of going back to that time because everything seemed simpler then.
Many of Lavigne’s fans, especially the female ones, will more than likely be able to relate to this, although not quite to the extent that they should.
If you’re about 20 years old, take how you saw yourself when you were 17 and multiply that by four, and then try listening to this song.
The song then transitions into “Bitchin’ Summer,” which Lavigne sings as though she just got out of her last class and she is ready for an incredible summer break.
To be specific, she’s ready for a bitchin’ summer break.
The song is fun to sing along to and has a pretty cool beat and title, but it doesn’t really stick out from the album as much as some of the other ones do.
Her next song, “Let Me Go,” features her husband Chad Kroeger – lead singer of Nickelback – which is very ironic because it’s a song about letting go of someone you’re interested in.
The song is a classic “sad song” and is a good listen for those going through a rough patch in their life relationship-wise.
The next few songs take a completely different turn, but they still work well with the album. At this point, the album turns into more of a story as opposed to a random compilation of songs.
“Give You What You Like” is a calmer song instrumentally, but the lyrics describe Lavigne at a party talking to a guy and, well, it’s easy to figure out what she’s talking about if you look at the title of the song.
“Bad Girl,” featuring Marilyn Manson, is the climax of the album.
Those who know the style of Marilyn Manson can know exactly what to expect from this song. It’s aggressive, hard-core and mixes the metal genre with Lavigne’s alternative-pop sound.
It may take a few listens for fans to figure out what’s going on.
“Hello Kitty” can best be described as Lavigne singing a song that was made for Ke$ha. It’s a little weird at first because she begins the song with some Japanese words and then goes into the sing-talking that Ke$ha does, but it’s a fun song and it works well.
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Sippin on Sunshine” are very similar in terms of themes for the song. However, the first is a bit more of an alternative song that listeners can bob their heads to.
“Sippin on Sunshine” is very poppy and mimics the styling of Lavigne’s third album as opposed to her first two.
“Hello Heartache” and “Falling Fast” is where the album starts to fall in tempo and emotion. While “Hello Heartache” is almost exactly what anyone who sees the title would expect it to be, “Falling Fast” is centered on falling for someone, not just falling.
Finally, like every single album Lavigne has ever released, the final song is very slow and what some might consider the “rock bottom” feel of the album.
Lavigne’s albums always end on a sad song and fans who have listened to her for the past 12 years will appreciate this.
All in all, “Avril Lavigne” will more than likely receive a positive reaction from fans of Lavigne, despite some of the weirder songs. The more alternative tracks have always been Lavigne’s forte when it comes to her music, but she also does well with the alternative-pop songs.
KHADIJA DJELLOULI
