Tag: Ava Heatley

Ava Heatley’s “Party” is a Song For Everyone Who Dread’s the Superficiality of Forced Social Interaction to Let Them Know They’re Not Alone

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Ava Heatley, “Beautiful/Terrifying” cover image courtesy the artist

The languid pace and spaciousness of Ava Heatley’s new single “Party” serves as a fine backdrop to her song about anxiety and how it can be a bit of a wrecking ball in your life. From putting a damper on social situations and using the supremely anxiety-inducing situation of the party as the centerpiece. An occasion where everyone is supposed to mix and enjoy themselves. But for anyone with a bit of the introvert in their personality that setting embodies one of the greatest potentials for awkward conversation or behavior as they are most often best handled with a lighthearted, casual spirit to get the most out of them. But when you’re used to committing to ideas or a conversation or a way of being, an emotion, all of that social lubrication seems pointless and a disservice to everyone involved. This song is written keeping in mind all the people who would rather give their focus and energy to people or a project in a direct way rather than sprinkling that attention around superficially, even if a little of that wouldn’t be so bad, to let them know they are not alone in experiencing anxiety over all manner of things but especially over the thought of having to spread themselves too thin in order to please the most number of people. Listen to “Party” on Soundcloud where you can also give a listen to Heatley’s other emotionally rich and thoughtful work.

soundcloud.com/user-949113108

Ava Heatley’s “Shitty Tattoo” is a Cathartic Piano Ballad About the Ill-Advised Decisions We Later Regret But Can’t Fix

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Ava Heatley, photo courtesy the artist

Anyone that’s ever felt like they get stuck emotionally and embarrassed by their own emotional stubbornness, perhaps born of some bit of arrested personal development, and acted out will relate deeply to Ava Heatley’s “Shitty Tattoo.” The song starts out simply enough with piano and voice outlining several times in life where everything feels raw and too real and you want to travel back to a time to fix the mistakes you made when you didn’t have adult responsibilities and maybe throwing a tantrum over much of anything wouldn’t be so consequential. The quiet part of contemplation escalates from the introspective yet dramatic self-loathing to an examination of repeating patterns of not wanting to deal with frustrating situations and poor life decisions. Even decisions as minor but so symbolic as an awful tattoo that one got thinking in the moment it would be something you wanted to commit to for the rest of your life because everything seems so significant to you in your tumultuous teen years and twenties when, really, as you get older you realize they didn’t matter that much—the relationships, the impulsive behavior in a moment of peak feeling, the angst over relatively minor matters. Guitar and drums come in to give voice to that cacophony in your head as every thing you think you fucked up and ruined come crashing in. If you live past thirty-five it’s safe to say you’ve been there and if not you probably are either in denial or have lead a boring life both outwardly and inwardly. Listen to “Shitty Tattoo” on Soundcloud and follow Heatley at the link below. Her new EP Beautiful/Terrifying is due for release on November 2 and she recently debuted “Shitty Tattoo” at The Bitter End in New York City on July 6.

soundcloud.com/user-949113108