“Malibu” is a love letter to Sharon Van Etten’s current partner, her drummer, who she fell in love on tour before writing this album. Verse one recollects their trip to Malibu, while verse two sees her enter a vignette of a moment where she found deep love for him.

Drowned in Sound’s Jasper Willems said this of the song:

Unless we’re talking Springsteen, the tale of two runaways astray in some dust bowl doesn’t evoke the same immaculate romance as, maybe, the hued beach sunsets of Gibraltar. But ultimately, it’s a better analogy for what you’d call a healthy, pragmatic and long-lasting relationship. This sentiment is the gist of Remind Me Tomorrow: there is no smooth, panoramic glide over these treacherous emotional landscapes. Van Etten instead takes a king-sized four-wheel drive, grinding and seething her way through.