Spotlight Release Review | Ava Valianti Delivers Indie Catharsis with “Laugh Track” A Sitcom-Tinged Stunner
United States, Newbury
At just 15, Ava Valianti is already writing with the kind of clarity and depth most artists spend decades chasing. On “Laugh Track” she delivers a searing, self-aware indie folk-pop gem that cements her as a name to know.
Driven by a glowing Americana warmth and backed with dusky acoustic textures, the track opens like a diary entry caught mid-thought. Valianti’s voice is intimate, close to the mic, tumbling through lines that feel both clever and cutting. “I hurt more than I like to admit,” she confesses, dissecting the bizarre emotional theatre of growing up in an age where everyone seems to be watching, even when they’re not.
There’s humour in the heartbreak. Framing her inner turmoil through the lens of The Truman Show or How I Met Your Mother, Ava turns existential dread into something almost… catchy. It’s like watching reruns of a sitcom where the laugh track kicks in just a beat too late. Unsettling, funny, and painfully familiar.
Musically, “Laugh Track” balances soft folk sensibilities with just enough alt-pop bite. Guitars roll and ramble beneath her, building with jazzy keys and layered harmonies in a rich final minute. But it’s her lyrics that steal the scene. Brutal in their honesty, yet buoyed by a sharp sense of irony.
Valianti might feel like the punchline in her own narrative. But “Laugh Track” proves she’s actually holding the pen. And with songwriting this brave, she won’t just be seen. She’ll be remembered.
