Avril Lavigne is back. The Canadian singer’s seventh studio album will be called “Love Sux” and will be released on February 25th.
Avril shared the cover of the record, which features her all punked out, holding black balloons against a red backdrop. The record, produced by Travis Barker’s record label DTA, will feature collaborations with Barker himself and with Mark Hoppus, another member of the band Blink-182. It will also feature a collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly, who is also signed onto DTA records.
Avril and Travis have worked together before, being a part of the same wave of punk rock music. “The first time we worked together was 15 years ago on my album ‘The Best Damn Thing’ and I have really enjoyed watching him develop into the producer that he is today. We spent a lot of time writing songs and working on this record together, and signing to his record label felt like the perfect home for me and my new music,” she said in a statement.
The artwork, the producers, and collaborators all suggest that Avril is leaning away from the pop she’s been making over the past couple of years, gravitating back towards her punk-rock roots.
“I really went back to what sounds I originally was influenced by at the beginning of my career...this time I just wanted to have fun and rock out. It just felt like it was time to make this type of an album,” Avril said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. While the record will touch upon her previous relationships, Avril said it will also reflect on the stage of her life right now, which is light and fun.
Today, she dropped the song “Love It When You Hate Me,” which features a verse performed by Blackbear. The record is available for pre-order now.