Although i've never been quite as allergic to Canada's answer to Mika Newton as most people, Avril Lavigne's transformation from irritable goth to Toni Basil's slutty cousin is entirely welcome. Girlfriend's reversal of the traditional process where sparky pop stars feel the need to weigh down their later records with "adult themes" and "difficult issues" is a glorious strike for immaturity in a landscape where success seems to be primarily based on how irksome you can make your impossibly privileged lifestyle seem. Really, aside from not having had a decent role since My So-Called Life, what does Jared Leto have to be grumpy about? Another rather wonderful break with convention has been Lavigne's recording of parts of the single in eight different languages - an indication that regardless of whether you live in Cologne or Sao Paolo, she's still going to take your man, bitch. The Mandarin version is hilarious while the Spanish one makes a cute companion to Belinda Peregrin's Boba Nina Nice which, remarkably, also comes in Czech, Japanese and English. That's globalisation for you.



Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend (Mandarin)

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend (Spanish)