A melancholy love song, “Emoji of a Wave” describes the hardships of living apart in a relationship.

John describes life as a “wave” – a force beyond his control that knocks him about. In choosing to “hold on” he embraces the unpredictability of life, playing down the heartbreak and fear such unpredictability holds. Even though he knows that they’ll “be ok,” it still “breaks [his] heart” to be apart from her.

He explained the meaning behind the unusual title at a San Francisco show:

I loved somebody, and it ended. But the feelings didn’t end, for either of us. But we knew we had […] to keep ourselves away from it. And on Sunday nights […] every once in a while my phone would buzz and I pick it up, and it would be her. But it would just be an emoji of a wave. And it just meant: “It’s all a little too much right now.” And I would send back an emoji of a wave, and I would say: “Yeah, I get it.” You’d be surprised [of] how okay that made things, just to see one little emoji of a wave. It meant: “you’re still in here” and it meant: “and you’re still in here too” […] And then, every once in a while, life will just throw you that wave.