salem ilese Pens an Ode to "Ben & Jerry," the Only Guys Who'll Never Do You Wrong
They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I imagine those same people have never had a pint of Ben & Jerry's half baked ice cream to themselves. The tasteful and unequivocally correct sentiment builds the foundation for salem ilese's latest bittersweet track "Ben & Jerry," a sublime ode to the only two boys who will never do you any harm.
Regardless of your ability to digest lactose, "Ben & Jerry" arrives as a pop-flavored tour de force worth indulging in. Built around the breakout rising star's enviable talent for imbuing personal, heartfelt songwriting with a universal flair, the delectable single is a tongue-in-cheek pop stunner aimed at the worst type of exes and the best ensuing cure for heartbreak. As salem details the emotional turmoil that leads one to down a pint of ice cream with all the lights off, "Ben & Jerry" deftly manages to avoid the pitfalls of a sickly saccharine heartbreak number, rather finding the levity in a relationship gone spoiled.
Over radio-ready production, salem sings, "The only guys who treat me right are Ben and Jerry / You fooled me twice then one more time to add the cherry." The ice cream wordplay abounds, only stopping short of turning the object of her ire into phish food (that one's for free for salem, if you ever need a more cutthroat pop-punk follow-up). In many ways, "Ben & Jerry" follows in the footsteps of previous singles like "Mad at Disney" and "Coke and Mentos," as well as her 2020 EP (L)only Child, drawing inspiration from the nostalgic and mundane to create something wholly relatable and novel.
Listen to "Ben & Jerry" below:
