salem ilese Doomscrolls Her Way to a Alternative Pop Hit With "Painhub"
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter salem ilese opens up about the dangers of digital overindulgence in her latest release, "PainHub." The single serves as a critical take on society's strange fixation with doomscrolling, aka endlessly scrolling through negative headlines, and getting lost in the internet's darkest, most apathetic corners.
"Painhub" opens with a flurry of raging guitar riffs and moody bass lines. But, then, the singer dives right in, expressing that we've become desensitized to disaster and how people "...like when stories end in tragedy / I like the movies where they kill the lead / Ain't nothin' sadder then reality." As the high-energy track rages on, she continues to shed light on this phenomenon. She explores her struggles with falling down deep, dark internet holes, wishing that there was just one thing we could blame for our fascination with despair.
Then, with biting lyrics and a relatable flavor of cynicism, in the climatic chorus, she remarks about today's fast-paced world and how it's too easy to get caught up in the constant stream of tragic news stories, explaining that there's no way to "log off" and that "we're in too deep." Finally, the song ends with one final reminder to the listener, "Make no mistakes, love / We're on, we're on PainHub."
"PainHub" is the first step towards a new era in ilese's career. Despite taking some time away from her music to expand her horizons as a songwriter, ilese's RIAA-certified Gold hit single "Mad at Disney" has amassed over 3.5 billion streams, with her following single "PS5" amassing over 500 million streams. Her upcoming release, in collaboration with Rina Sawayama's creative director Crystal Lockhart, showcases a fresh new sound that combines pop melodies with high-concept lyrics criticizing media consumption and more.
Watch the "Painhub" lyric video below:
