Stream Avril Lavigne’s Self-Titled Album A Week Early

Avril Lavigne‘s fifth studio album, Avril Lavigne (no points for imagination on the title, and yet I’ll forgive her), drops next Tuesday, November 5, but it’s streaming on iTunes a week prior to the official release, which should give all of us an opportunity to drop what we’re doing, stop our entire lives, and actually engage with one of the best pop records of the year.

It’s not hyperbole. Sure, there are a few duds on this record — the mediocre Chad Kroeger assist “Let Me Go,” the inexplicable Marilyn Monroe duet “Bad Girl” and the irksome “Hello Kitty” — it’s an absolute killer of an album. The extraordinary nostalgia anthem “Here’s To Never Growing Up” and the rollicking “Rock N Roll” led the charge, but “17” is nothing short of masterful, picking up right where Katy Perry‘s “Teenage Dream” left off with a mixture of sadness and joy that’s intoxicating. “Bitchin’ Summer” is nearly as great, a jolt of euphoric adolescent madness, and “Sippin’ On Sunshine” is “Roar” with an even bigger chorus. “Give You What You Like” is Liz Phair-style one-night-stand shame-lust in sonic form, and “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” is pop-rock perfection. “Hello Heartache,” “Falling Fast” and “Hush Hush” form a sort of gorgeously sad trifecta. It’s all super good. Put down Prism and Bangerz for a minute and give it a listen. It’s streaming now at iTunes.