A train in the distance, crickets after dark and a dedication to her grandfather bring a deeply personal new chapter into focus.
For some artists, a hometown is a place on a map. For Liana Valle, it is a sound. On her October 16 single “A New Best Friend,” the singer-songwriter builds a world from the small details that linger long after childhood: the passing train, the nighttime crickets and the feeling of being outside with nowhere else to be.
Those sounds are part of the recording itself. A train opens the track; crickets move through the arrangement. Instead of treating them as atmospheric flourishes, Valle lets them guide the listener toward the song’s central emotion: remembering a time when connection felt instinctive and uncomplicated.
“This is the most nostalgic song I’ve ever written, a love letter to my hometown,” Valle says.
The song also carries a dedication to her grandfather, whom she called Pappy. That personal connection gives “A New Best Friend” a second meaning. It is about childhood affection, but also about the people whose presence remains with us through familiar places and sounds.
Valle wrote the song, with production by Eric Johnson of N.I. Music Group, instrumentals by Michael Johnson and mixing by Marcus Colbert. The arrangement leaves room for both her voice and the ambient details, creating an intimate recording that feels less like a grand statement than a memory shared directly with the listener.
The release marks another turn in a developing catalog. Her earlier single “Finally Feel Big” and an appearance on FOX 2 St. Louis introduced audiences to a different side of her story. Skope previously covered that chapter; “A New Best Friend” reveals what happens when Valle looks backward to find a way forward.
Alongside her music, Valle pursues acting and modeling. Across those disciplines, the through line is her interest in identity, relationships and the moments that shape a person. Here, she resists the urge to make nostalgia overly polished. The small, specific sounds do the emotional work.
“A New Best Friend” does not ask listeners to have grown up in the same town or known the same people. It simply offers a door into their own memories — and a reminder that the places we leave can continue to live inside the music we make.
Listen & Follow Liana Valle
Official website: https://www.lianavalle.com/home
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4bJ9Lu1Nz70Z7jFyWyeLyK
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/liana-valle/1497833066
Instagram — @lianavalleofficial: https://instagram.com/lianavalleofficial
TikTok — @lianavalle: https://www.tiktok.com/@lianavalle