Buttercups

Buttercups by AVA VALIANTI is an ethereal and beautiful emotionally resonant folk-pop track. It uses these influences to create tonal contrast to the more high register, shiny timbre moments of the project,3 providing an end result with a rich and varied sonic palette and a unique melodic tapestry which twists and unfurls as the track goes on. Evolution feels like a key component of VALIANTI’s musical style. She expresses herself beautifully in the quieter intro to the track. By using subtlety in her vocal style, she allows the listener to pull the emotion out of the vocal, meeting the project halfway and asking themselves how it applies to them. I love music like this that allows listeners to take their own meaning from it at the end. Tracks like this feel deeply personal and universal at the same time.

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As the vocal expands, VALIANTI’s style changes to a more bold and dynamic one. She is backed up by these layers of intense harmonies that flow over you as a listener like a wall of sound. They expand the high end of her sonic register especially well, providing a contrast to her lead vocals. The contrast emphasises the richness of her voice and promotes this sense of self assuredness at the core of the track’s DNA. She does some excellent vocal runs up and down the track, expanding the emotional delivery of the vocals and breaking rank from the traditional position of a vocalist in terms of leading the melody. The structural strength of the song overall allows space for this melodic element to dance and explore around it. The rest of the melody comes from these two powerful angles on the same sonic concept. The breezy guitar has this sunbleached, carefree vibe which expands the ethereal higher end of the track and the rubbery rhythmic bass expands the lower end of the track’s sonic register. Together, the two balance each other out beautifully, contributing to the rhythm and melody at the same time. This track is balanced and constantly evolving. It is a sonically cohesive and bold interpretation of the folk pop genre.