Reviews for The Best Damn Thing Avril Lavigne Goes Totally Hardcore Punk on New Album Everyone knows that Avril Lavigne is, like, a totally hardcore punk, so it should come as no surprise that her forthcoming album, optimistically titled The Best Damn Thing, was recorded in the same spirit of punk legends of yore: she tracked it while getting loaded with her boyfriend and pigging out on pizza in her Hollywood mansion. Oi! "This record, I've never had so much fun in the studio," the pint-sized Canuck tells MTV. "We would order food five times a day and totally pig out. We'd be drinking. I wrote 'Girlfriend' when I was drunk." Like any punk-rock song founded in rebellion against the corruption of society, “Girlfriend” tells the story of a girl stealing another girl’s boyfriend. This badass example of anti-establishment thinking was carefully crafted by Lavigne, who worked tirelessly to ensure its youthful aggression would have just the right amount of anti-establishment zest to enlighten the minds of her listeners. “The chorus was written in two minutes. It took nothing,” she explains, adding that other songs on the record are similarly well crafted. “And what's really cool about 'I Can Do Better' is we wrote it, and then I just ran into the booth, and I sang. I laid down the verse, and ... we just used my demo [take]. It was totally different — so much fun!” Of course, the protest anthems heard on The Best Damn Thing aren’t just vehicles Lavigne has written to motivate an underground movement to revolt against the unfair political practices of the world or global issues — they’re also songs the songwriter takes dearly to heart. "Some of the songs I wrote didn't even mean that much to me," Lavigne tells MTV. "It's not like some personal thing I'm going through. They're just songs." The Best Damn Thing hits stores on April 17. Make sure you’re first in line to fork over $20 to support this fine young artist and her selfless plight to revive the essence of punk-rock ethos. --- Heather Adler Avril Lavigne's New Album is 'The Best' Avril Lavigne has just wrapped up recording her new album and wanted her fans, at least the ones on Myspace, to be the first to know about it. The newly married Mrs. Deryck Whibley posted a blog on her official Myspace page after doing some press for her new song "Keep Holding On" from the soundtrack to the movie Eragon, "I keep getting asked about my record and what it is called....so I wanted to give u guys all the info directly....so.... I'm calling the record "The best Dam Thing".....and the first single is called "Girlfriend"... the single comes out February....and the record in April......." Lavigne goes on to say that the new record is worthy follow up to her 2002 record Let Go and her sophomore release Under My Skin, "I promise you guys will LOVE this record, it is my favorite one!!! And I can't wait!!!!! It is really fast, fun, young, bratty, aggressive, confident, cocky in a playful way....all the good stuff. This record will make a great live show, and that's what I had in mind while writing it! My last tour helped inspire me. So because I am a touring artist and spend so much of my time playing live shows, I wanted to make sure the songs were fun. Fun for the fans and myself. I will only have like 3 slow songs on the record. yay!! I am working on my last song right now in the studio. I should be all wrapped up by Moday in time for the Christmas holidays. So I will check in with u guys soon." --- Michelle Garcia