A pendulous but warm melody. Burning emotions simmer to the surface courtesy of a layered-attack vocal that comes together slowly but surely.
A sense of continuity extends itself well beyond the limitations of sound and melodicism altogether. In the new single “worst of times,” pop singer Ava Della Pietra is joined by a stacked arrangement for what feels like one of the more powerfully honest tacks of its kind to debut in 2023, and though I had never heard of this singer before coming across her new track this summer, I think she set the bar pretty high for herself moving ahead.
Ideally, an artist such as this can bring the best out of a song that invites both their talents and their personality into the same narrative, and even though Della Pietra tends to have more of the spotlight than her instrumental counterpart does, there’s never a moment in which they don’t sound like equals here. This is an instance of a musician finding the magic through creative kinship, and to me, it’s something that pop music enthusiasts would be foolish to ignore in favor of checking out more of the mainstream fodder as 2023 crosses the halfway mark.
There’s no plasticized element to the instrumentation here, but instead, a groove that exclusively builds the melody beneath the verses and allows the singer as much space as she needs to shine like a true superstar. The vocals spark immense chemistry between the beats, and as we press forward it feels more and more organic in spirit.
There’s an aching emotionality to the lyrics that makes me feel like every word here is personal and sourced from the heart, and though I do think a bassline presence would have helped to cushion the hooky guitar part a bit more, there’s nothing specifically negative about the instrumental construct that would require an overhaul ahead of this track getting into the radio pool. I’m surprised this player has been able to remain in obscurity for so long; with the kind of passion she has for the medium, hers is a sound that could go mainstream without a lot of help from the establishment.
Pop music, much like the rest of the United States and our culture, has gone through one of the more provocative years of recent memory in 2023, but fans of the storied style needn’t fear for the future as independent artists like Ava Della Pietra rise to the occasion and take control of a new generation of content. Harmony lovers can’t go wrong with what they’ve produced in “worst of times,” and though there’s still a long way between where they stand now and the heights of industrial success, there’s no question that this is a good start to what could easily become a very successful career in the music business. 2023 is a transformative year for the arts, but with players like this one in the mix, I have a feeling some of the best tunes we’ve heard in years are still on the horizon.
Heather Savage