No matter what nostalgia brings up for you – sweet memories or bittersweet ones – music has a way of wrapping it all up in comfort. This week, Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan are serving a dose so essential, it basically made for my favourite weekend of 2025 so far, based off vibes alone.
In recent years, Avril Lavigne has been riding a wave of success in terms of touring box office. Just last summer she performed in sold-out arenas in North America, while simultaneously shutting the Glastonbury gates of her stage due to overcrowding for her set. People want to feel good and they want to listen to the music from their youth that brings them that feeling; Avril just is that girl for millennials. Now she’s continuing her Greatest Hits Tour this summer, kicking off next week in Moncton. She’s bringing along the boys of Simple Plan, and together this week they’re releasing a new single, “Young & Dumb”, to coincide with the start of the tour. The song is an anthem that captures the free spirit of the pop-punk era in the early oughts. As fans gear up for another round of sing-alongs and emo anthems, this tour is promising to be a celebration of rebellion for skater kids everywhere. Avril’s newfound appreciation as a “pop-punk legend” amongst the general public comes at a time when artists from her day are being celebrated on a grander scale than in the past, almost as if nowadays the lifespan of your career has so many more legs because of this post-COVID nostalgia appreciation fest. Now, festivals like “When We Were Young” and “All Your Friends” exist with artists exclusively of the pop-punk genre from the 2000s. This year, Avril Lavigne and Rise Against are headlining the latter festival with other acts like Boys Like Girls, Simple Plan and The Veronicas joining in on the fun. Talk about staying power of not just the genre, but of Avril herself. Songs that once were blasted from our iPods on the way to school are still being screamed by thousands of fans at live shows. Being able to feel “young & dumb” comes naturally with music and Avril is fully tapping in.
This week was one of those weeks where the amount of new music felt excitedly overwhelming, so naturally not all my favorites of the week made it onto the playlist. Honourable mentions include this kiss-off by Maren Morris which sees her telling off a cheating boyfriend, and a new vibey track “Bliss” by Tyla. Tyla not only released this new original song, but she’s also gearing up for the release of a new music video for her duet with LISA, “When I’m With You”, sharing this new teaser on IG.
Next week, it’s a going to be a fun week for Britney fans because of official 25th anniversary of the Oops!... I Did It Again album and a deluxe edition with rare b-sides and remixes is set to be released. Plus, new music from Aminé is sure to awaken the hipster living within us all. This week, keeping up with the pop-punk nostalgic theme, we have new music from Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee in a new duet with Halsey. There’s also some new tunes from The Weeknd/Doechii/Playboi Carti, Becky G/Manuel Turizo, Flex (UK)/Ciara and Keke Palmer.
Listen on…
MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK
“Young & Dumb” by Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan
It is a little surprising that this is the first time that these two iconic artists have ever collaborated. Avril wrote on a recent IG post how they went on tour together at the beginning of their careers and how this new tour with all of them means more for that reason, but it has in fact taken 23 years for them to get into the studio together. While both acts have had their fair share of success around the world, there’s a lot of Canadian pride here for me – as a young boy in Montreal growing up in the 2000s, both Avril and Simple Plan were inescapable. Particularly because Simple Plan’s frontman, Pierre Bouvier is also from Quebec. The nostalgic melodies and punk instrumentals take me back to third grade when I first saw Avril perform live in a mall (this was back when they did mall tours). I can still remember the spiked bracelets tight around my wrist. The song celebrates the small towns that they came from and their humble beginnings with lyrics like “2002, and I’m hanging on a tour bus leaving my hometown, Napanee” and “Let’s get stupid tattoos because we’ve got nothin’ to lose”. Avril told us this back in 2013, that she has no plans of growing up anytime soon – it was true at 29 and it’s true at 40. I’ll cheers to that.
“Timeless” by The Weeknd, Doechii, Playboi Carti
One of the bigger hits to come from The Weeknd’s latest album Hurry Up Tomorrow was the original version of this song when it only featured Playboi Carti, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the rest of the singles from the album so far have failed to make as much noise, Abel is now choosing to capitalize off the song’s success and tie it to his new film (of the same name) that also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. To go along with its release, he has made a remix and added it-girl Doechii into the mix. I know, that was a lot of name dropping. The remix has a mixed reception online, with some fans criticizing Doechii’s verse but if you ask me I just think people on Twitter are just trying to find something to hate about her. Personally, I think the verse adds a lot to the song and I enjoyed hearing her twist on the track, especially since she and Abel have such different sounds. I’ve also been a member of the “swamp” (Doechii’s fan name, if you know you know) for a few years now, so all these new opinions are going to come with the territory the bigger she gets. I just hope she keeps enough umbrellas on hand in the future to avoid any more negative press. I will say, it is interesting that he is choosing to remix this song when it was a single over 6 months ago – but hey, I’d also use the one top 10 single from the record to promote my movie lol.
“QUE HACES” by Becky G, Manuel Turizo
It’s summertime and Becky G has given us the tropical jam we need to usher in the season. Blending both merengue and bachata sounds, Becky teams up with Manuel Turizo for the sultry collab. Lyrically, it’s fun and flirty with the two singing about wanting to start dating – ahhhhh summer love. The song is a departure from her two most recent música mexicana albums, which were not considered as commercially friendly, yet still widely loved and appreciated by fans. “QUE HACES” feels like a return to the Becky G who recorded party hits like “Mayores” and “Sin Pijama”, the sound that made her a streaming juggernaut (not to knock her Academy Award nominated song “The Fire Inside” of course). Still, it’s somewhat of a new stepping stone for Becky and her sound as she is leaning more towards a romantic feel through this new music, when the earlier tunes were sexier and party-ready. This is lighter and more authentic to where she is in her life. The music video was shot in Miami and is a heartfelt tribute to all kinds of love, adding on to the romantic narrative she has formed with this Latin pop return. Nostalgia comes in many forms, and in Becky’s case it is returning to the general sound that you helped make popular close to a decade ago, except now you’re wise enough to add some new flair to it.
“Hand That Feeds – From the Film Ballerina” Halsey, Amy Lee
It actually doesn’t even matter what happens in the world this week, because nothing will get me down now that I am hearing Amy Lee in my headphones again; is the world healing? This new duet with Halsey from the John Wick spin off Ballerina sees Amy returning to her soundtrack roots. You’ll recall the very first time we all heard Amy was on “Bring Me to Life” which was the theme to Daredevil in 2003. This week is just full of full-circle moments. Halsey seems like a very fitting choice for Amy to collab with as well - not only has she been dabbling in the moody alternative sound lately , but the two of them have powerful vocals that can lend to a dramatic instrumental seamlessly. Halsey also recently paid homage to Amy during her countdown to her most recent album The Great Impersonator which saw her doing imitation photo shoots of all her favourite female artists from Britney Spears to Dolly Parton.
The song is essentially an excuse for both ladies to give us their best operatic riffs and runs – it shows off the vocals dahhling. The song is so insanely cinematic that it could only ever be used in a movie, but how remisnicent of how music used to be. I say this often, but I really appreciate when a film has an accompanying soundtrack because it elevates the moviegoing experience. It turns it into an event, that will inevitably live on for generations to come as music has a tendency to have a longer lifespan over the course of the decades than films do - which partly could be blamed on the sheer amount of filler movies on streaming, but that’s a conversation for another week.
“So & So” by Flex (UK), Ciara
When it comes to remixes, it’s generally pretty tough for one to get my attention, it has to be really f*king good. When I heard this new take on Ciara’s 2006 “Get Up”, I immediately started dancing. The groove and hard-hitting bass is so infectious, it stands as a stand-alone track. Had I not known the original song, I wouldn’t have even thought it was a remix. Flex (UK) has been making a name for himself on the UK minimal tech house scene for a few years and recently scored a viral hit for his remix of Nate Dogg’s “6 in the Morning”. His second break was this Ciara remix which did so well online, scoring upwards of 5+ million views in a week, it caught Ciara’s attention and she re-recorded new vocals for this very remix as a result of that success, bridging the gap between old and new. I especially love the new voicemail interludes interwoven through the song, very 2000s. This remix ladies and gentleman is the definition of taking something classic, and re-imagining it in a way that is respectable and honourable. Ciara has been making the rounds musically and on socials recently due to the viral “ecstasy challenge” which sees users re-creating her planking chair dance sequence from her latest music video. Between the new music and this remix, Ciara is on the receiving end of some well-deserved good will in terms of her music, and I for one am happy to be driving the train.
MC’s VIRAL PICK
Keke Palmer “My Confession”
We have songs that become viral moments, and then there are just moments that go so viral that a song comes out of it. This week, the latter is the case and comes from none other than the millennial internet queen, Keke Palmer. You all might remember summer 2023 when Keke went to see Usher, and her now ex-boyfriend sent the internet ablaze with his ridiculous reaction to the clip of her being serenaded by him.
(the moment)
Now, Keke is putting pen to paper with the new track “My Confession” which details the entire ordeal while cleverly sampling one of Usher’s most successful and iconic songs. Keke’s “My Confession” itself is nostalgic and has the sound of a classic 2000s R&B banger, the era that Usher owned. There also were some revelations in the song through Keke’s lyrics. The main one being that she and her ex weren’t even together anymore when she was in Vegas as she sings “broke up with and me and you hopped on a flight” and “the truth is, in Vegas, we was already over”. Classic straight male energy to project your own insecurities onto a baddie. I always say, so many men want to be with a confident and beautiful woman, but they can’t handle the heat (not all, but you catch my drift). Leave it to Keke to take a moment that caused a lot of controversy and discourse online, and turn it around in her art. Keke says that this song is her way of letting go and getting closure on the situation; two years may have passed but the hurt of being shamed by someone you trusted can cut deep, and nothing heals the soul like music. Keke has been on a hot streak in the last year, from a successful film, to releasing new music and creating viral moments pretty much everywhere she goes, her star power is shining bright; sometimes, a man just gets in the way of that. These are her confessions.
@stponds Keke Palmer’s New Song “My Confession†🎶🎬🎠#kekepalmer #justkeke #fyp #usher #SarunasJackson #usherraymond #usherresidency #kekepalmeredit #sorrytothisman #tiktokpartner #fypシ #fyp @Keke Palmer #confessions
♬ Vlog Video work Fashionable BGM(847726) - Tsuyoshi_san
@iam__lyn108 KeKe using music to recount the Usher Incident. Smart and Creative!!!! #newmusicfriday #channelgreenradio #kekepalmer #usherraymond
♬ My Confession - Keke Palmer
@lenellie_ Y’all heard Keke Palmer new song “My Confessions� Whew #fyp #youamomthough #kekepalmer #usher #confessions @Keke Palmer
♬ original sound - LENELLIE 🌻
@anthonyy089 Keke this new songgg is so amazinggg 10/10 @Keke Palmer #newmusic #myconfessions #kekepalmer #banger
♬ My Confession - Keke Palmer
@makaismind These are my confessions… #kekepalmer #usher #usherconcert #sims #thesims #sims4mods #sims4cc
♬ original sound - Makai Maxey / YT: TheShoekai
You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.
With Love,
MC
