Hearing Ally Bakst’s new song “Everest” is a reminder for me that, despite whatever naysayers may contend, transformative talents continue emerging from the woodwork of popular music. A 2022 USC graduate from the college’s Thornton School of Music, Bakst doesn’t limit herself. She’s more than a singer. Bakst has considerable acting chops as well, especially in the area of voice-over work, and her ability to inhabit any role bleeds over into her musical endeavors. “Everest” is, for me, one of those all-too-rare songs where I’m convinced by every word Bakst sings rather than spending the song’s duration impressed by her technique and vocal ability alone.
I don’t hear her broaching new subject matter in the annals of pop songs. I won’t pretend otherwise. Bakst, however, writes about the aftermath of a romantic relationship with an individualistic slant on the language that other artists don’t share. Staking out territory as an unique interpreter of personal experience is one of the many hallmarks distinguishing her from everyday performers and I expect those dimensions of her talent will keep broadening with each new single. She crafts several key lines/phrases that listeners can hang their hats on during the song that crystallize the experience she’s looking to portray.
Choosing “live” drums rather than computer-generated percussion is an astute decision. It makes “Everest” a much more immediate listening experience and the increased physicality befits a song so tortured and yet liberated from the weight of doomed love. The remainder of the song’s sound centers around electronic-driven instruments without ever sacrificing feel. I get all of the feel I need from Bakst’s singing and the various emotional permutations of her voice. She lives out the song’s experience for us and anyone who can’t hear that is resistant without cause.
It’s an ideal length. Running just a hair over four minutes allows producer Mark Vogel and Bakst ample opportunity to develop the performance without ever taxing the listener’s attention span. It also allows the tandem to structure the arrangement in such a way that they can explore the song’s full dramatic potential. Many pop songs of this ilk are often rife with the suggestion of lost opportunities, but that isn’t the case with “Everest”. It’s a fully realized single that makes a near-immediate emotional impact that lingers long after the song concludes.
It’s an excellent follow-up to the preceding single “Mystery Girl” which shares a similar DNA without ever mimicking its predecessor. This ability to show me different “faces” with each new song denotes an artist with genuine staying power and there’s nothing about her extensive training that would indicate otherwise. It isn’t an academic exercise, however. Ally Bakst’s “Everest” is an artistic and deeply felt musical performance that sweeps listeners away on an irrepressible wave of emotion and skill. It comes as highly recommended as I can. I’m not always a fan of pop music, but this is five-star stuff that’s far from disposable.
Ally Bakst is here to stay, and the musical world is better off for it.
Cleopatra Patel