By now you know that we are obsessed with Ava Valianti, and have been featuring the intricate unveiling of her new EP, Sophomore Slump, so when we saw that the full body of work had landed in full, we couldn’t wait to spotlight the single released alongside the record, poignantly titled – Heads on Fire.
Heads on Fire opens with a super intricate guitar soundscape, tapping into timeless notions that remind us of The Eagles. Ava shares philosophical, self-reflective prose with luscious harmonies as she sings, “I’m becoming a caricature of myself, of someone I never used to know, I’m the sum of all my parts, but what if nobody likes me whole…”
The production is magnificent, giving Lana Del Rey‘s Ultraviolence and Norman Fucking Rockwell era at moments, with dark-Americana twang and cinematic beauty. Heads on Fire is about feeling overwhelmed by one’s own mind and personality. Aligned with the wider theme of the EP, Ava feels like she is acting fake around other people, hiding real feelings behind a “mask”.
She worries that people only like her when she stays quiet, calm, and easy to handle. This is a zeitgeist commentary on feminism in itself. Inside, though, she feels loud, stressed, and emotionally crowded.
The chorus showcases notions of mental overload. The concept of the hook and title of the track and the words “brain’s on overload” really demonstrate anxiety, racing thoughts, and emotional pressure that never fully explodes but burns quietly.
Truly, the song is a masterpiece, and we could imagine this locking in a number of sync placements, especially an episode of Euphoria, 13 Reasons Why, or a TV show like the more psychedelic Nine Perfect Strangers – perhaps even a movie like Apex.
Speaking in detail on the release, Ava shares, “Heads on Fire is kind of what it feels like when your brain won’t slow down and everything starts stacking on top of itself. It’s that moment where you’re overthinking how you come across, how people see you, and wondering if you’re too much, or not enough, all at the same time.”
The rising superstar continues, “I wrote it from this place of feeling like I was becoming a version of myself that didn’t fully feel real, like a caricature. there’s this tension in the song between holding everything in and wanting to just let it all out. The chorus is really that feeling of overload, but also realizing you’re still here in it, like everything’s burning, but you’re not actually falling apart.”
Ava adds, “Sonically, it’s one of the biggest songs I’ve made. It’s louder, a little chaotic, and leans more into that indie pop-rock sound with a bit of a Western feel, which made it really fun to build. it feels like the moment on the EP where everything kind of peaks. It’s messy and a little unfiltered, but that’s the point.”
We are truly in awe, and have added Heads on Fire to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the entirety of Sophomore Slump all weekend!