Up-and-coming contemporary indie pop singer-songwriter Ava Petrillo is wearing her heart on her sleeve with her emotionally-charged new single “ATLANTA.” With inspirations like Lucy Dacus, Maggie Rogers and FINNEAS, this single sonically parallels lyrics of heartache.
In this gut-wrenching track, Petrillo tackles the adolescent experience of friendship breakups. In a plea of, “I didn’t think you would go so soon,” the young singer wrestles with the pain of her friend’s betrayal.
At just 20 years old, Petrillo is making a name for herself as she continues to grow artistically and professionally. The self-made prodigy tests her songwriting abilities, with this track exemplifying her incredibly vulnerable experiences in teenage heartache.
Petrillo further reflects on the song’s meaning:
“After struggling with mental health last year, this song healed me. I want everyone who’s ever experienced a friendship breakup to yell scream and feel it.”
The song’s storytelling mirrors Olivia Rodrigo’s debut, “drivers license,” where the track even begins with a car seatbelt alarm. The track starts out with a delicate piano melody and slowly builds with an acoustic guitar as she eases into the chorus. Petrillo sings, “Just two girls clinging to comfort / And hanging on the edge of disaster.”
By verse two, powerful echoed harmonies emphasize her disgust in “My God / You looked so fucking happy,” before introducing a comfortable beat in the chorus.
Her bridge is where she dwells on her mistake of ever trusting her now ex-friend: “Maybe I was a fool / I’d do it again ‘cause I thought you were cool / Oh, I thought I needed you.”
Post-bridge, Petrillo sings, “We were driving through Atlanta / Didn’t have a care in the world,” as the melody erupts on a crescendo, massive drum breakdown taking over the energy of the song to capture the singer’s emphatic frustration and ultimately letting go.
“ATLANTA” is just the beginning for the young artist. With just two singles under her belt, one can only hope to witness where her music takes her.
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