Avril Lavigne issues a soul-stirring battle cry in her latest single ‘We Are Warriors’. The punk rock princess has been itching for a memorable comeback for a long time, and she may have finally found it in the form of this soft, tenacious ballad.

Lavigne made a name for herself for incorporating some spirited, uproarious guitar hooks and percussion sets but she’s thrived just as well in gentler, more melodic arrangements. Some of her strongest works feature the artist at her most vulnerable and honest, including ‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘Innocence’. Both of those demonstrated the singer has many abilities and styles in her vault and she will wield them as she pleases. 

‘We Are Warriors’ is distinct in that it remains tender and light and never really touches upon the hard-rock stylings that Avril is generally known for. But at the same time, the subject matter of the tune is about strength, unity, and action at a time of crisis — something we could all relate to these days. The melody is buoyed by sharp, steady piano chords that ground the composition in a solid, appealing rhythm. Avril’s voice is as magnetic and compelling as usual, but the depth of her lyrics really stand out against the relatively silky and subdued instrumentation.

With phrases like ‘steadier than the steel’ and ‘we won’t bow’, Avril does not hold back from diving into pure pop magic. Not only does she have enough inspiration to keep her going for decades, but she also injects each and every word with a vulnerability amidst the power. When an artist is able to strike a balance between two, that’s when we can confirm that their songwriting skills have far surpassed the majority of mainstream ditties. 

The Canadian singer-songwriter has not had the easiest of years recently. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease at the age of 30 and that took her out of commission for a few years. However, songwriting has always been her first love, and it provided her solace as she struggled with the illness. “That’s the thing about my music,” she said.

I write it and I put it out there, and people can interpret it the way they like” 

 Pop     Rock     Punk 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.