Album Review: "growing down" - salem ilese

Victoria Fitzgerald
Jul 1
5 min read

On June 13th, 2025, salem ilese released her sophomore album “growing down”. She teased the release of this album with singles such as “I’M NOT SCARED” and “hahaha”. This album is written and produced by salem ilese as well as David Arkwright. She held an exclusive preview on June 11th at Licorice Pizza Records in Studio City, California.

TRACK LIST

I'M NOT SCARED

hahaha

if you love me...

fridge

growing down

new in town

dirty martini

storm

Born on August 19th, 1999 in Mill Valley, California, salem ilese is an American singer and songwriter. Her career began at the age of 10, when she took songwriting classes with Bonnie Hayes. She also attended Berklee College of Music, majoring in Hayes’ songwriting program for two years. Her first EP was released in 2019 under the label Homemade Projects. She is best known for her singles “Mad at Disney” and “PS5” which experienced social media virality. Other artists she has written for include Bella Poarch and Demi Lovato.

I'M NOT SCARED

This track depicts the bittersweet sensation that comes with a new relationship. Forming a new connection is scary, and you’re unsure whether or not they match your feelings or if they’re going to change their mind suddenly and leave you in the dust. “I’M NOT SCARED” starts with ilese trying to convince herself that she is secure in the relationship, but eventually admits in the chorus that she is actually terrified. The minimalist instrumental in the introduction and first verse is brought to an exciting climax in the chorus by electric guitars once she admits the truth. The different titling compared to the other songs on the album for this track complements the desperation and further develops the narrative value. The excitement from the chorus carries over into the next verse, driving the song to its end with powerful vocals.

hahaha

“hahaha” starts with exposed vocals over a single guitar track, pulling listeners into a different mood than the previous song. Life’s hardships can be discouraging in the moment. However, sometimes you get to the point where you can look back and laugh. That’s what salem ilese wanted to describe in the second song on her album. This track takes an optimistic outlook, saying that even if you are going through hard times, at some point you will be able to look back and laugh. The bridge experiences a mood shift, with the repetitive melody and lyrics about how bad things can get illustrating an anxious feeling. However, it returns to the optimism of the chorus, mirroring how things can get better.

if you love me...

The word that comes to mind when describing “if you love me…” is no doubt “vulnerable”. Ilese sings over an acoustic guitar, vocals exposed and isolated. The worst thing about amicable breakups is that sometimes they are harder to get over than the messy ones. You want to hate them, but you can’t, because they didn’t do anything to intentionally hurt you. With the instrumental emphasizing mainly guitar and harmonies in the vocals, it is able to mirror the vulnerability and grief present within the lyrics. This song maintains a consistent energy comparable to the rest of the album, making it mellow but not boring. The lyrics are something that will touch listeners’ souls as they reflect on their own experiences through the narrative presented.

fridge

Although most media in pop culture idealize the exciting newness of a relationship and the messy aspects that make it thrilling, salem ilese’s “fridge” takes on a new perspective. Ilese describes the beauty in domesticity, expressing the desire to intertwine lives on a personal and intimate level in each other’s home. The track begins with vocals over an electric guitar, but adds in background vocals and energetic percussion as her requests become more earnest. I find it incredibly beautiful that the backing track emphasizes various components and instruments throughout the song, acting as a taste test of ilese’s skillful artistry.

growing down

The title track of this album immediately presents a distinctiveness with its vocal distortion in the introduction. Ilese illustrates the feeling of being mature in childhood and childish in adulthood in her song “growing down”. However, she takes an innovative approach to this narrative, by describing it in an optimistic way. This is a topic that has been broached before, with feeling even more lost and confused as you gain experience and age, and usually focuses on the negative aspects of this experience. Ilese chooses to embrace is as a part of life, inviting others to join her with exciting percussion and guitars that create a sense of adventure. Various sound samples in the instrumental create a tastefully “messy” sound that adds to the overall narrative impact.

new in town

The introduction to “new in town” consists of vocals over synths that create a melancholic feeling. Ilese depicts the experience of watching the honeymoon phase fade away, and the person you’re with starting to look at you as if you’re nothing extraordinary. It’s a painful feeling, and you idealize the sweetness of the beginning while begging for another chance at it. Ilese urges her partner to look at her as if they don’t know each other, and to return to the effort they used to put in. The electronic background and lyrics ornamented with vocal harmonies add to the devastation.

dirty martini

The concept of the girls’ night out has been discussed and romanticized in the past, and for good reason. salem ilese offers us a fun track about wanting to party with friends with “dirty martini”. Upbeat vocals provide the melodic content and drive the energy of the song, which is refreshing to see, further demonstrating her innovative artistic style. My favorite part about this song is that the drum beats sound like the tapping of feet on a dance floor, complementing the imagery in the lyrics. This is the perfect song to play when you’re getting ready for a night out with your girls.

storm

The final track of this album, “storm”, has a sort of grungy sound. Upbeat, but with a certain intensity to it that matches the content of the lyrics. This song describes how tough life can get. Sometimes, the hurdles are too tall, and you get knocked down. However, just like a storm ends, you can bring yourself back after a hard time. This song is about embracing the bad days and knowing that an emotionally rich life has both ups and downs. This song is the perfect message to leave with listeners as Ilese closes out her album.

As an artistic work as a whole, “growing down” is a comprehensive piece that indulges in the various emotions and sensations of the human experience. Especially beautiful is salem ilese’s emphasis on the idea that things get better. In a world where people want to constantly feel doomed, this is a refreshing attitude. The final song, “storm”, is my favorite. It has a beautifully constructed instrumental that complements the lyrics about things getting better. In the modern era, sometimes what we need is a reminder that life can be truly beautiful, even at its worst.

Written By Victoria Fitzgerald