There’s always been tension between Ava Della Pietra’s origin story and her current trajectory. She’s a musical prodigy, a Broadway alum, and a top student at one of the most elite music programs in the world. But “2 can play” is something different—it’s a deliberate unpolishing.
You don’t open a song with “God how I loathe you” unless you’re ready to kill the character everyone thinks you are. And that’s exactly what Ava does here. The single flips her reputation as a thoughtful, sometimes sentimental balladeer on its head, using controlled rage and lyrical precision as tools for reinvention.
The production is deceptively simple. Built around a pulse rather than a groove, the song creates a feeling of stifled tension, punctuated by cool melodic pivots. It never fully erupts—and that’s the point. Ava’s not interested in catharsis. She’s interested in balance, in poise, in the feeling of exacting just enough.
It’s also worth noting the visual strategy here. The music video plays with contrasts—light and shadow, elegance and chaos, sweetness and savagery. Her alter ego isn’t a caricature. It’s a function. It allows her to act out the script without breaking character.
In context, “2 can play” deepens Ava’s catalog rather than redirecting it. Her viral single “Reindeer Rebellion” may have landed her national TV spots, and “Moon Over Capri” might have won over the old souls—but this is the track that carves out her place in pop’s sharper edges.
As she preps an acoustic album next, this moment feels even more significant. She’s showing us she can do more than write sad, pretty songs. She can disrupt. She can scheme. She can write a revenge anthem that slaps hard—and still make it look elegant.
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