The song address several topics including the fear of separation, while her distorted and stuttering voice is sung over a similarly deformed bass. For promotional purposes, the song was performed live during Eilish's 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour and her Where Do We Go? World Tour in 2020. On April 24, 2020, an animated visualizer was released for the song. Upon the release of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, the song reached number 62 on the US BillboardHot 100 and charted within the top 40 in Canada and Australia. It was certified gold in each of these countries.
Backgroundedit
"Ilomilo" was written by Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, who also produced it. Mastering and mixing was handled by studio personnel, John Greenham and Rob Kinelski, respectively. Casey Cuayo is credited as studio personnel and as an additional mixer.[1] In an Instagram story on March 25, 2020, Eilish shared a playlist of her inspirations for the track, which included songs from XXXTentacion, Kavinsky, Daniel Olsen and Aaron Zigman.[2][3] When Eilish mentions the song to her mom Maggie Baird, she describes the track as "being a parent to her".[4]
Composition and lyrical interpretationedit
According to sheet music website Musicnotes.com, "Ilomilo" is moderately fast at 120 beats per minute (BPM) and is played in the key of C minor. Eilish's vocals range between G3 to A♭4.[5]Critical commentary described "Ilomilo" as a mid-tempo electropop and electronicindustrial track.[6][7][8][9]The New York Times'sJon Pareles noted the use of a "briskly plinking, near-ska beat" in its instrumentation.[10] Throughout the song, her voice is distorted to sound like she is stuttering, and her vocal track is layered over a similarly deformed-sounding bass and "paranoid" synths.[8][11][12] Sean Ward, for The Line of Best Fit, wrote that the song sees "the demon is in a place of contemplation".[13]
In April 2020, during a 50-minute Verizon livestream, Eilish explains "Ilomilo" is about "losing somebody, or being afraid of losing somebody and it kind of being inevitable. It feels horrible and terrifying. Especially when you lose a person, it's a horrible feeling, so it's the feeling of being afraid."[4] The singer revealed the puzzle video gameof the same name, whose goal is to reunite two characters named "Ilo" and "Milo" who hug afterwards, was a major inspiration for the song.[7][14] Music critics have associated its lyrics with the fear of separation (in lines such as "I don't wanna be lonely" and "I can't lose another life"), to a failed relationship ("I just wanted to protect you / But now I'll never get to") and suicidal thoughts ("I might break / If you're gonna die not by mistake").[10][7] Chris DeVille, writing for Stereogum, noted that the song finds Eilish "in a world wrecked by tragedy".[15] The lyrics in the second verse of "Ilomilo"—"The friends I've had to bury / They keep me up at night"—reference the single "Bury a Friend" (2019), the song's predecessor on When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which ends with the opening instrumental section of "Ilomilo". Elaborating on this in an interview on MTV, O'Connell said the two songs only referenced each other for the purpose of making the album "cohesive", and that they were not linked in any other way.[14]
Critical receptionedit
"Ilomilo" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Insider's Libby Torres, called the track "catchy" and felt its lyrics "[do] [their] best to parse the emptiness left by someone important", as "insanely relatable".[16] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also commended the lyrics, which he described as "propulsive".[12] Sam Prance of PopBuzz stated the song's production was "clever".[7] Madeline Roth of MTV called the song a "thumping beat", while Deville described it as "skittering".[14][15] Sean Ward writing for The Line of Best Fit, interpreted the song as being "disturbing".[17] Yasmin Cowan of Clash depicted the song as an "anxious lullaby".[18] The staff of NME, who called the song "fitting", commented that as you listen to the track, your "interest in 'Ilomilo' will only grow the more you listen to it."[8]
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