“RUNNING ON EMPTY” by Ava Valianti

Some endings don’t crash — they dissolve. They slip quietly into the night, like taillights fading farther and farther away until the road feels unfamiliar again. “Running on Empty,” the final track on Ava Valianti’s debut EP petunias, dwells in that delicate space where love becomes memory and memory begins to blur. It is the sound of realizing someone has disappeared long before they are truly gone. Written in a hotel room after long days performing in New York City, the song feels steeped in late-night clarity — that hour when adrenaline drains, silence settles, and honesty comes to the surface whether we want it to or not. Valianti uses that stillness to her advantage, crafting a narrative that understands heartbreak is not always loud. Sometimes it arrives through small, accumulating distances — unanswered messages, fading warmth, and the slow recognition that what once felt certain no longer does.

Her vocal delivery is beautifully vulnerable, leaning into breaths and softness rather than force. She sings as if every word takes a little energy to push forward, reflecting the exhaustion embedded in the title. The production is equally restrained: gentle piano, spacious ambience, and subtle rhythmic movement that intensifies only when emotion demands it. Instead of escalating into a dramatic climax, the track expands just enough to let the emotional weight sink in. It’s a choice that feels mature and deeply intentional. Lyrically, Valianti captures a universal coming-of-age reckoning — when the people we depend on begin to drift, and we are left sorting through what their absence reshapes within us. The song never lingers in bitterness; instead, it holds space for confusion, longing, and the vulnerable attempt to keep going when the heart feels depleted.

As the closer of petunias, “Running on Empty” ties the EP’s central metaphor together: that ordinary experiences, when examined closely, reveal extraordinary meaning. If the earlier tracks celebrate growth, humor, and the brightness of youth, this one acknowledges that growing up also means confronting loss — sometimes quietly, sometimes alone. In just a few minutes, Ava Valianti delivers an emotional conclusion that invites listeners to sit with what hurts and recognize the strength in continuing anyway. It’s a final note that lingers long after the music stops — a promise that this young songwriter is only beginning to show the depth she can reach.