Mill Valley, California pop newcomer Salem Ilese recently celebrated her 22nd birthday with a tasteful sweet. Coupled with designer clothes, purses, and cuddly puppies, ice cream also tops that list. The songstresses’ new bittersweet single is a public appreciation to the guys who give comfort, not harm.
“Ben & Jerry” brims with electro-pop stylistics that eats away the pain of honeyed heartbreak. It boasts a syrupy scoop on a relationship gone sour. The opening line sits on a synthesized mountain of a replicated, infamous creamy jingle that indulges in cutting-edge bass, pop-rock offerings, and an appetizing vocal production. Ilese’s imagery and continuous wit gloss the lyricism, cleverly adding meticulous play on words such as, “you are the reason I(ce) scream..,” and “I’m tired of this rocky road.”
She sings, “The only guys who treat me right are Ben and Jerry / You fooled me twice then one more time to add the cherry. On top of girls who look just like me then you tell me just to spite me / So I’m home to be alone with Ben and Jerry.”
Having been raised on The Beatles, David Bowie, and more, the songstress has an endless flow of inspiration up her sleeve. The electro-pop singer + songwriter’s single “Mad at Disney” fundamentally exploded. Written by Ilese, Jason Hahs, and Bendik Møller, the anti-fairytale assemblage blew up on TikTok less than a month from its debut garnering around 20,000 streams a day. It now lies at over two hundred million streams on Spotify. “Ben & Jerry” also follows “Coke and Mentos” – a song written about a car game with Salem’s boyfriend.
She said: “We shuffle a playlist on Spotify, and we look at the title of the song that comes on. We have until the end of that song to come up with a different concept relating to the title […] the song ‘React’ came, and I immediately thought, ‘Oh, react. Chemical reaction. Coke & Mentos. When we touch it’s Coke & Mentos.’ I wrote the song a few weeks later.”
In May of this year, Ilese dropped a six-song EP (L)only Child following smash singles but working in the popstar’s signature pop making.
Listen to “Ben & Jerry” here.
Keep up with salem ilese: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok.
