Recording began with minimal instruments, usually starting with Lavigne singing only to acoustic guitar, with additional instruments added later. Lavigne described the process: "It’s stripped down. I love performing that way, so I really felt like it was time to make a record like that. To just make it all about the vocal and the performance, and the vibe, and the emotion." By July 2009, nine tracks had been recorded,[55] including the songs "Fine", "Everybody Hurts" and "Darlin". Several of the tracks were written in Lavigne's youth. "Darlin" was the second song Lavigne wrote as a 15-year-old while living in Napanee, Ontario. Lavigne described the album as being about "life". She stated, "It's so easy for me to do a boy-bashing pop song, but to sit down and write honestly about something that's really close to me, something I've been through, it's a totally different thing."
The album is expected to be a return to Lavigne's older musical style and may be largely acoustic,[57] which would suit her desire to support the album in smaller venues. Lavigne said, "[For] this record, I just really, really wanted to sing. [...] I just wanna have silence around me, and have these acoustic songs and really deliver."
The album's and lead single's release dates have been pushed back several times. The album was originally scheduled for release on 17 November 2009.[55] Later, in January 2010, Lavigne stated that the album cover had been photographed and the first single would be released in April, followed by the album in June.[58] In May, Lavigne admitted that she considered the album too serious and "mellow" and would return to the studio to balance the album out. "With an album, I don't want to rush it out. [...] I have a very serious record, so I think I need to put a couple upbeat, fun songs on it."[59]
In January, while simultaneously writing and recording for her new album, Lavigne was working with Disney on Alice in Wonderland-themed clothing designs, inspired by Tim Burton's feature film, Alice in Wonderland. She asked the executives if she could write a song for the film. The result was the song "Alice",[58] which was played over the end credits[60] and included on the soundtrack, Almost Alice.[61]
On 28 February, Lavigne gave a performance at the concert portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "My Happy Ending" and "Girlfriend".[62]