In her new single, “Running on Empty,” Ava Valianti once again showcases the force she wields with both pen and voice. This is no disposable heartache anthem, it’s a profoundly human meditation on all the quiet ways people leave our lives, and the hollow ache they leave in their wake. “Running on Empty” is delicate, haunting, and beautifully human, a song that stays with you like the whisper of someone who went away without saying goodbye, not really.
The song unfolds like a whispered self-conversation, the 3 a.m. instant when you realize someone is gone, less by an abrupt goodbye than by their vaporizing presence. Ava portrays that nuance with raw honesty. Her lyrics feel lived-in, like pages from a journal left open, and her hushed, intimate vocals serve as vessels for the emotional weight of what remains unsaid.
“Running on Empty” resides in the tenuous territory between openness and strength. The instrumentation, tender, considerate, and willfully sparse, curls around her words like a sigh. Each note feels deliberate, and every pause is loaded with meaning. It’s a testament to Ava’s skill in making minimalism sound full and alive, leaving listeners room to breathe, reflect, and feel. Ava doesn’t back away from such low-grade pain, she gives it grace, capturing the empty spaces whose voids remain, minus any trace of bitterness or regret.
Tags
Indie pop