Dammit. Two of the most aggressive females in rawk, mark my words. These two ladies will steal your boyfriend, have their wicked way with him, then eat him and throw away the bones.

But how would they fare against each other? That’s the question we’ve been asking all through March, and though both girls were neck and neck for a couple of weeks, Paramore’s Hayley Williams came out tops. Guess the people chose substance over style in the end…

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In Hot, she’s taken the tempo up a bit and dabbles a bit in S&M lyrics – “I wanna lock you up in my closet” etc. Apparently, the song’s a dribbling tribute to her new husband Deryck Whibley (of Sum 41 fame).

“You’re so fabulous”, she croons, “You’re so good to me. Bay-bee. Bay-bee…” It’s all very cutesy. Don’t you just love all this lovey-dovey stuff? No? Me neither.

On a positive note, the chorus isn’t too bad: a kind of stomping, arms in the air type of track. Unfortunately, that edge that you associate with Avril Lavigne is nowhere to be found. What’s replacing it is lacklustre songwriting and performing. Avril’s becoming more the manufactured pop star with each new release – despite the perfect punk princess facade, she’s failing to convince us anymore.

This single’s not so much Hot as lukewarm.

Here’s video evidence for you…from The Friday Night Project:

Fresh from her comic turn in the video for Girlfriend, our Avril takes a serious turn with When You’re Gone.

Let’s talk about the video first though. It basically borrows bits from Green Day (Dude goes off to war, leaves girlfriend behind – When September Ends) and Christina Aguilera (moping around a grungy room looking thoughtful – Beautiful).

The basic idea behind the video seems to be centered around the theme of loss. The director has tried valiantly to lift the concept from run of the mill rock ballad to a more mature statement on separation and loss.

Whatever, I’m not buying into it.

This was a poor enough choice as a follow-up to Girlfriend, and hopefully When You’re Gone will be the token ballad from the Best Damn Thing album. When you compare this with Avril’s other notable slow song, I’m With You, it’s clear just how lame this track is.

Dammit Avril, you need to raise your game. And wipe off some of that bloody mascara. Did you put your makeup on in the dark that morning?