Love Sux | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 25, 2022 | |||
Recorded | November 2020 – February 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:38 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Avril Lavigne chronology | ||||
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Singles from Love Sux | ||||
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Singles from Love Sux (Deluxe edition) | ||||
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Love Sux is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne,released on February 25,2022,by DTA and Elektra Records. Her first studio album since Head Above Water (2019),Lavigne worked on Love Sux with various artists including Machine Gun Kelly,Blackbear and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. Musically,it embraces emo pop angst and Lavigne's early skate punk influences from Blink-182,Green Day,NOFX and the Offspring. The album was preceded by two singles:"Bite Me" and "Love It When You Hate Me".
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number nine on US Billboard 200 with 30,000 equivalent-album units,of which 19,000 were pure album sales. It also entered the top ten in Australia,Germany,Canada,Japan,and the United Kingdom,among many others. Lavigne promoted Love Sux through a series of public appearances and televised performances. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.
A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 25,2022,following the release of the single "I'm a Mess",a collaboration with British singer Yungblud. [1] Love Sux won the Japan Gold Disc Award of Best 3 Albums.
Following the release of her previous studio album Head Above Water (2019),Lavigne mentioned in a May 2020 interview with American Songwriter magazine that she would like to release some music in 2021 and that she had started working on new material. [2] At the time,Lavigne was without a record label or management team. She began working on new music,collaborating with American musician Travis Barker. The pair produced their first song,"F.U.",in November 2020. [3] The same month,American musician Mod Sun,on whose single "Flames" Lavigne featured in January 2021,introduced Lavigne to producer John Feldmann,who stated "my experience with Avril was unbelievable" adding that "her voice is incredible —her pitch,her tone."
In December 2020,Lavigne confirmed she was recording new music with Feldmann,Barker,Mod Sun,and Machine Gun Kelly. [4] Recording for the album was reportedly completed by February 2021, [5] and on November 3,2021,Lavigne announced that she had signed with Barker's label,DTA Records. [6] On January 13,2022,Lavigne revealed the title of her seventh studio album,along with the release date of February 25,2022. [7]
Four of the tracks of Love Sux are vocal collaborations with other artists,namely Machine Gun Kelly,Blackbear,Mark Hoppus and Yungblud;this is the largest amount of collaborations Lavigne had ever included on an album. On working with Hoppus,Lavigne said "...he blew me away... He was writing in front of me,recording his vocals,playing his bass. He can engineer and he's obviously an awesome songwriter and I got to see that firsthand. I have so much respect for him that I just keep gushing about him." [8]
Love Sux was described by Lavigne in an interview with Entertainment Weekly as the "most alternative record I've made from front to back",further explaining "most of my albums have like pop songs,ballads,and it's quite diverse. The people I worked with really understood me and come from that genre of music". She described the recording of the album as feeling as though she was "back in high school hanging out with the type of people [she] grew up with,and it was just effortless." [9] In an interview with Nylon ,Lavigne said that "the album is light and happy,even though there's songs about heartbreak and breaking up" but that "it's also anthemic,and it's powerful,and it has a positive message for people to stand up for yourself,to have self-worth." She further stated that Love Sux is the album she had "wanted to make for [her] whole career," [10] drawing skate punk influences from NOFX,Blink-182,Green Day and the Offspring. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
The album has been described by critics as being pop-punk, [17] skate punk, [11] alternative rock, [18] and emo pop. [12] [19] [20] [21] [22]
Love Sux opens with the track "Cannonball",described by Ali Shutler of NME as "a furious electro dance opener" which "starts with a burst of buoyant guitars and the angsty scream of "like a ticking time bomb,I'm about to explode" and that "less than 20 seconds in,the tune veers drastically into hyper-pop territory". [23] The second track "Bois Lie" features American musician Machine Gun Kelly,and was described by Bobby Olivier of Spin as a "speedy duet" which "builds to a he-said-she-said climax",and as "a sonic sequel to MGK's "Forget Me Too"". [24]
"Bite Me" is the album's third track and lead single,and has drawn comparisons to Lavigne's earlier studio albums Let Go (2002) and The Best Damn Thing (2007), [25] [26] [27] as well as to the band Paramore. [28] Billboard described it as a "guitar- and drum-heavy track" which "features Lavigne raging at her former lover for failing to treat her properly,promising that they'll always regret being kicked out of her life." [29] Fourth track and second single "Love It When You Hate Me" was described by Shutner as a "pop-punk banger", [30] and Emily Carter writing for Kerrang! noted that the song "hears the Canadian star embracing nostalgic pop-punk in the chorus –'The highs the lows the yes,the nos / You're so hot when you get cold / Don't call me baby / I love it when you hate me' –and fresher elements in the verses." [31] The title track "Love Sux" follows as the album's fifth track,and was described by Tom Williams of The Line of Best Fit as featuring "a fantastic guitar-riff that recalls Celebrity Skin -era Hole". [17]
"Kiss Me like the World Is Ending" is the sixth track,which was said by Jessie Atkinson of Gigwise to contain a guitar riff reminiscent of Blink-182's "All the Small Things". [32] Seventh track "Avalanche" was described by Shutler as "find[ing] Lavigne,now 37,just as confused as she was on her 2002 breakout track "Complicated",featuring the lyrics "I wish my life came with instructions" but that "with a delicious,synth-driven breakdown,she's far more self-assured here." [23] 10th track "All I Wanted",featuring Mark Hoppus,"sees the two punk veterans trade in various past memories for a surprisingly affecting number". [17] 11th track "Dare to Love Me" is a "delicate ballad" containing "fraught emotion", [23] and was described by Atkinson as a "piano led beauty". [32] "Break of a Heartache" is the album's 12th and final track,and was said by Shannon Garner of Clash to be a "bombastic number that confidently brushes off past trauma and reassures people that you can overcome things and change how you feel towards certain situations given the time." [33]
Lavigne held a concert and launch party at the Roxy Theater in New York City,celebrating with Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker. She performed several songs from the album,including "Bite Me","Love It When You Hate Me",and "Bois Lie" (with Machine Gun Kelly),as well as some of her earlier hits. [34]
The lead single from Love Sux,"Bite Me",was released on November 10,2021. [35] The second single,"Love It When You Hate Me",featuring Blackbear,was released on January 14,2022. [36] An acoustic version of "Bois Lie",featuring Machine Gun Kelly,was released as a promotional single on August 26,2022. [37] A music video for this song was released on YouTube the same day,featuring footage from Machine Gun Kelly's Mainstream Sellout Tour,on which Lavigne was a supporting act. [38] [39]
To promote the album,Lavigne embarked on the Love Sux Tour,originally titled the Bite Me Tour,in 2022. The European leg was originally scheduled for that year,but was delayed to 2023 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [40] In addition,the pandemic also delayed some dates in the Canadian leg due to positive cases within the tour and subsequent exposures. [41]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.8/10 [42] |
Metacritic | 74/100 [43] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [44] |
Clash | 8/10 [33] |
Gigwise | [32] |
The Guardian | [45] |
The Independent | [46] |
Kerrang! | [13] |
The Line of Best Fit | 6/10 [17] |
MusicOMH | [47] |
NME | [23] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
Love Sux received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album has an average score of 74 based on 11 reviews. This marks Lavigne's highest-rated album of her career to date. [43]
In a positive review from Clash ,Shannon Garner wrote that "it would be easy to disregard Lavigne's album as part of the current 2000s nostalgia storm that's on the rise but it's far from hazy nostalgia",further remarking that Love Sux "showcases growth in Lavigne as an artist",and that the album is "more of an antidote to pop progress rather than a nostalgic throwback",concluding that "it just has all the elements of what made us fall in love with Avril Lavigne in the first place." [33] Tom Williams of The Line of Best Fit complimented Love Sux,commenting that the album "brings the energy up to a 10 almost immediately and rarely turns it down across the album's 33 minutes." [17]
Roisin O'Connor of The Independent wrote that the album is "Lavigne's best album since 2007's The Best Damn Thing,which moved away from her earlier grunge-based sound and into catchier territory. It says a lot about the 37-year-old's conviction that her rebel-girl schtick doesn't feel hackneyed." While critical of some of the album's lyrics,O'Connor concluded that Love Sux is "shameless but cathartic hit of nostalgia". [46] Writing for NME ,Ali Shutler reviewed Love Sux positively,remarking that the album "is an unapologetic blast of self-empowerment" and "a progressive pop-punk album that eschews the old rules –but not at the expense of maximalist,joyful guitar anthems." [23] Hannah Jane Parkinson of The Guardian opined that the album contains "high-energy bangers one after the other",and is "exuberant enough to have you partying like it's 2002."
In a less positive review,Jessie Atkinson of Gigwise commented,"now thirty-seven years old,Avril is still playing with schoolbook colloquialisms and the dramas of one who is unlucky in love. The results are undeniably fun,especially for those of us who were young at the time of 2002's Let Go –and the new youth,who are dabbling in chequered wrist warmers and smudged liner. Sadly,Love Sux sounds too much like a 2002 carbon copy to truly impress in 2022." [32]
Love Sux won the Japan Gold Disc Award of Best 3 Albums. The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.
Organization | Year | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Japan Gold Disc Awards | 2023 | Best 3 Albums | Won | [48] |
Juno Awards | 2023 | Album of the Year | Nominated | [49] |
Pop Album of the Year | Nominated |
In Canada,Love Sux debuted at number three on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart;it was Lavigne's seventh album to enter the top ten on the chart. [50] [51] In Australia the album debuted at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart,becoming Lavigne's seventh top-ten album in the country and her highest-charting album since Goodbye Lullaby in 2011. [52] In Germany,Love Sux debuted at number six on Offizielle Deutsch Chart,becoming her sixth top-ten album in the country. [53] In the United Kingdom,the album debuted at number three on the UK Albums chart,with 13,622 units sold on its first week,making it her highest position on the chart since her 2007 album The Best Damn Thing . [54] [55] Love Sux was also the best-selling female cassette of 2022,and third overall. [56]
In the United States,Love Sux debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart with 30,000 album-equivalent units on its first week,which consisted 19,000 pure copies and 10,000 streaming units. It became Lavigne's sixth top-ten effort overall and her first since her 2013 self-titled record. [57] The album went straight to number two on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. It was the second best selling album that week,debuting at number two on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts;it was also Lavigne's first album to enter the Top Rock Albums chart and her highest position on the Top Alternative Albums chart since 2007. [58] [59]
In Japan,Love Sux debuted at number seven on the Oricon Japanese Albums chart,with 11,573 units sold on its first week (9,882 physical copies and 1,252 digital copies),making it Lavigne's seventh studio album to enter the top ten in Japan. [60] [61] On the Billboard Japanese Hot Albums chart,the album debuted at number six. [62] Uniquely in Japan,the album was released by Sony Music instead of DTA and Elektra Records. Love Sux was the 67th most downloaded album in Japan in 2022. [63] In November,the vinyl edition release of Love Sux debuted at number 24 on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart. [64]
All tracks were produced by Derek "Mod Sun" Smith,John Feldmann,and Travis Barker unless otherwise noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Cannonball" | 2:18 | ||
2. | "Bois Lie" (feat. Machine Gun Kelly) |
| 2:43 | |
3. | "Bite Me" |
| 2:39 | |
4. | "Love It When You Hate Me" (feat. Blackbear) |
| 2:25 | |
5. | "Love Sux" |
| 2:48 | |
6. | "Kiss Me like the World Is Ending" |
| 2:50 | |
7. | "Avalanche" |
|
| 3:39 |
8. | "Déjà Vu" |
|
| 3:23 |
9. | "F.U." |
| Barker | 2:47 |
10. | "All I Wanted" (feat. Mark Hoppus of Blink-182) |
| 2:32 | |
11. | "Dare to Love Me" | Lavigne |
| 3:34 |
12. | "Break of a Heartache" | Lavigne |
| 1:51 |
Total length: | 33:38 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "Bite Me" (acoustic) |
| 3:09 |
Total length: | 36:38 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "I'm a Mess" (with Yungblud) |
|
| 3:07 |
14. | "Mercury in Retrograde" |
|
| 2:09 |
15. | "Bite Me" (acoustic) |
| 3:09 | |
16. | "Love It When You Hate Me" (acoustic; featuring Blackbear) |
| 2:33 | |
17. | "Bois Lie" (acoustic; featuring Machine Gun Kelly) |
| 2:50 | |
18. | "Pity Party" |
|
| 1:54 |
Total length: | 49:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Complicated" |
| The Matrix | 4:04 |
2. | "Girlfriend" |
| Dr. Luke | 3:36 |
3. | "I'm with You" |
| The Matrix | 3:43 |
4. | "My Happy Ending" |
| Walker | 4:02 |
5. | "Sk8er Boi" |
| The Matrix | 3:24 |
6. | "What the Hell" |
|
| 3:39 |
7. | "Head Above Water" |
| Moccio | 3:40 |
8. | "Here's to Never Growing Up" |
| Johnson | 3:34 |
9. | "Losing Grip" |
| Magness | 3:53 |
10. | "Smile" |
|
| 3:29 |
11. | "Hello Kitty" |
| Johnson | 3:17 |
12. | "Complicated" (from The First Take ) |
| 4:03 | |
13. | "Bite Me" (from The First Take) |
| 3:07 | |
Total length: | 47:31 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love Sux.
Musicians
Production
Technical
Design
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | February 25, 2022 | Standard |
| [93] | |
Japan | CD | Japanese | [94] | ||
November 2, 2022 |
| Japan tour | [67] [95] | ||
Various | November 25, 2022 | Vinyl | Standard |
| [96] |
| Deluxe | [97] |
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in the development of pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her accolades include eight Grammy Award nominations.
Let Go is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released on 4 June 2002, by Arista Records. Critics have described Let Go as an alternative rock album with a pop-punk and post-grunge-oriented sound. The album is considered to have transformed the pop-punk music scene, integrating the genre to the mainstream and contributing to the rise of female-fronted pop-punk music acts. The album has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it Lavigne's highest-selling album to date and the best selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. A Rolling Stone readers' poll named Let Go the fourth best album of the 2000s.
Under My Skin is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released firstly in Europe on May 21, 2004 then it followed the release in the rest of the world on May 25, 2004 by Arista Records and RCA Records. Lavigne wrote most of the album with singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, who invited her to a Malibu in-house recording studio shared by Kreviazuk and her husband Raine Maida, where Lavigne recorded many of the songs. The album was produced by Maida, Don Gilmore, and Butch Walker. It is Lavigne's second and final studio album to be released on Arista, following Let Go (2002). It was also her first album for RCA.
"Complicated" is the debut single by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her debut album, Let Go (2002). It was released on 11 March 2002 by Arista Records. Lavigne and production team the Matrix are credited as writers. Production on the song was helmed by the Matrix. According to Lavigne, the song is about being honest with oneself rather than "putting on a face".
"My Happy Ending" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, written by herself and Butch Walker for her second studio album, Under My Skin (2004). Structurally, the song is written in 4/4 style and has a repeated hook in both the chorus and in the intro and outro.
Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne has released seven studio albums, nine extended plays (EPs), 33 singles, and 40 music videos, and she has appeared on several movie soundtracks and charity albums. With worldwide sales of 40 million albums and 50 million singles, Lavigne is ranked as the third top-selling Canadian female artist in history. Billboard listed her as the eighth best-selling Canadian artists of the Nielsen Music Canada era. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Lavigne has sold 28.07 million albums and singles in the United States.
The Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was firstly released in Europe on April 13, 2007, then worldwide on 17 April 2007 by RCA Records. as her second studio album on the label. The album represents a musical departure from her previous studio album Under My Skin (2004), which incorporated more elements of post-grunge. The Best Damn Thing is seen by critics as Lavigne's most commercial effort. The album was noted as her first effort to feature a wide range of producers, including Matt Beckley, Rob Cavallo, Dr. Luke and Lavigne herself, who was credited as the executive producer.
"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne and Dr. Luke; the latter is also the producer. "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007) on February 27, 2007 by Columbia and RCA Records. Lyrically, the song revolves around its protagonist having a crush on someone who is in a relationship, proclaiming she should be his girlfriend.
"What the Hell" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby (2011). It was released on 10 January 2011 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was produced by Max Martin and Shellback, who co-wrote the song with Lavigne. According to Lavigne, she wrote the song as her "personal message for freedom".
Avril Lavigne is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on November 1, 2013, through Epic Records in North America and Sony Music Entertainment worldwide. Lavigne collaborated with numerous producers including Martin Johnson, Peter Svensson, David Hodges, Matt Squire, and Chad Kroeger. In both musical and lyrical aspects, the album represents a departure from the acoustic-oriented production of her previous album Goodbye Lullaby (2011), featuring a more uptempo pop sound juxtaposed with power and piano ballads. Avril Lavigne also incorporates electronic music, industrial and punk rock. The album features two vocal collaborations: Kroeger and American industrial metal singer Marilyn Manson, making Avril Lavigne Lavigne's first album to contain featured vocalists. The album marks her first and only release through Epic Records, and is her second and final studio album with Sony Music, to which, from BMG, she first signed in 2000, before being moved to Sony Music following their acquisition of all BMG labels.
"Hello Kitty" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, taken from her self-titled fifth studio album, Avril Lavigne (2013). It was written by Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, David Hodges and Martin Johnson. Production was handled by Kroeger and Hodges, with additional production by Brandon Paddock and Kyle Moorman. Musically, "Hello Kitty" is a J-pop, dubstep, and EDM song, featuring an electro-influenced drop. The song was influenced by Lavigne's affinity to the Japanese brand Hello Kitty, and has some sexual content.
Derek Ryan Smith, known professionally as Mod Sun, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and musician from Bloomington, Minnesota. He has released five solo studio albums, three EPs, and six mixtapes. He is also a member of the alternative hip hop duo Hotel Motel.
Head Above Water is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on February 15, 2019, through BMG Rights Management. It is Lavigne's first studio release since her self-titled fifth studio album five years prior, marking the longest gap between two of her studio albums, and is her first and only album recorded for the new incarnation of BMG. She assumed an integral role in the album's production and collaborated with several producers including Chad Kroeger, Stephan Moccio, Chris Baseford, Johan Carlsson, Lauren Christy from The Matrix, Ryan Cabrera, Travis Clark of We the Kings, Bonnie McKee, JR Rotem and Mitch Allan among others.
Internet Killed the Rockstar is the fourth studio album by American musician Mod Sun. It was released on February 12, 2021, by Big Noise Music Group. Produced by John Feldmann, the album marks a departure from Mod Sun's hip hop sound in favor of pop-punk. The album was promoted with three singles: "Karma", "Bones" and "Flames", the latter of which is a collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne.
"Bite Me" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne. It was released on November 10, 2021, through Elektra Records and as Lavigne's debut on Travis Barker's label DTA Records. It is the lead single from Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux (2022). The song was noted by critics as a return to Lavigne's pop-punk roots. The song peaked at number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 61 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Love It When You Hate Me" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne featuring American singer Blackbear. It was released on January 14, 2022, through Elektra Records as the second single from Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux (2022).
"Bois Lie" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne featuring American musician Machine Gun Kelly. It is the second track on Lavigne's seventh studio album Love Sux. The song was released as a promotional single on August 26, 2022, along with an official music video. Upon the release of Love Sux, the song peaked at number 85 on the Canadian Hot 100.
DTA Records is an American record label founded in December 2019 by Travis Barker, best known as the drummer of Blink-182. It is a joint partnership between Barker and Elektra Entertainment, which distributes the label's releases.
"I'm a Mess" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne and English singer Yungblud, released on November 3, 2022. The song appears on the deluxe edition of Lavigne's seventh studio album Love Sux, as an official track in her Greatest Hits compilation.
The Love Sux Tour was the seventh concert tour by Canadian recording artist, Avril Lavigne, launched in support of her seventh studio album Love Sux (2022). It commenced on April 30, 2022, in Orillia, Canada, and concluded on May, 10 2023, in London, England. The tour included appearances at festivals across Canada, Europe and North America.
To the core, I'm a kid from a small town who listened to bands like Blink-182 and Green Day and NOFX in high school, and I tapped into that.
I was really connecting with punk rock, aggression and rock and roll when I got into writing riffs. That was the style that I gravitated towards when I was picking up the guitar – I was listening to those distorted sounds as well as bands like The Offspring and blink-182 who were so influential.
"Bite Me," "Love Sux" and "Love It When You Hate Me" with blackbear lean into the alternative rock vibe.
Lavigne returns with a very emo sound loaded with nostalgia and roughness
Avril Lavigne is back with her aughts emo pop-punk aesthetic.