The minimalistic guitar-driven song embodies indie rock, avant-R&B and guitar pop, with its nostalgic lyrics exploring memories of a lost love.
Ocean wrote the song with frequent collaborator Malay Ho, and produced it with Om'Mas Keith and former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, the latter of whom also arranged the track.
[3][4][2] The track depicts an "avant-R&B tale of heartbreak [sung] over distorted electric guitar", and incorporates the soul and rock of Ocean's earlier work with a hip hop sensibility.
[6] The track's use of guitar has been compared to the indie rock of Alex G, with the "sheer force" of Ocean's voice differentiating the song from other "intimate strummers".
[5][3] The song has been likened to "a diary entry where a long-buried memory surges back into his mind in bits and pieces", with the "bittersweet angst" being compared to Brian Wilson, "mourn[ing]" that "We'll never be those kids again".
[2] American indie rock band Car Seat Headrest has regularly covered the track live since September 2016, featuring new and reworked lyrics including "if I could guess your password, you know I’d break in to the empty heart that you keep my face in".