Over the last eighteen months, we’ve seen Ava Valianti’s sound mature. Now she’s released her debut EP, petunias.

By Graeme Smith

As she explains it, petunias is about finding beauty in what’s easily overlooked, using the unassuming flower for its title. The flower is quite beautiful if you look at it closely, and Valianti finds this quality in her songs.

We’ve been enjoying her tales of being a teenager since June 2024; she has a way of bringing the emotion of each to life. This equally applies to the EP’s centrepiece track, Running on Empty which infuses Valianti’s music with a folksy acoustic warmth.

It’s the storytelling that really captured me about the track. Its story unfolds with intimacy and nostalgia, invoking night skies full of stars and backyard campouts. As the story progresses, it becomes tinged with sadness, before we find some nostalgia in a vibrant chorus.

From Newbury, Massachusetts, USA, Valianti wrote the song during an overnight stay in New York City, struck by how people fade out in little ways.

Ava Valianti is a special artist, that much is true. How far she takes her career remains to be seen, but I think she can really go places. Her debut EP may go down as a mere steeping stone on an accomplished journey.

Petunias is out now, and you can listen to Running on Empty below.