The highly referential song contrasts bright music against a lyrical exploration of uncertainty and suffering, and was written by lead singer Ezra Koenig with iLoveMakonnen and Mark Ronson.

The track was released to widespread critical acclaim, being described as amongst the band's best work, and peaked at 11 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.

"This Life" bears strong similarities to Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967), and has also been compared to Paul Simon's Graceland (1986), with the opening lyrics referencing "It Never Rains in Southern California" (1972) by Albert Hammond.

[5] Spin's Will Gottsegen praised the song as the highlight of the singles released leading up to Father of the Bride, describing it as "a high water mark for Koenig in the post-Rostam era—a deft interlacing of references, equal parts melancholic and playful".

The video depicts Koenig, Danielle Haim and Ariel Rechtshaid riding through the California desert with a driver introduced as Wade (portrayed by Kyle Field), eventually arriving at a Passover Seder hosted by Mark Ronson, with other guests including Sophie, Despot, Simi and Haze and Jovan Hill.