 " The Wave " is a piano @-@ based electropop piece with a " marching band vibe " . Chris Schulz of The New Zealand Herald described it as an " electro @-@ anthem " with a " <unk> dubstep <unk> " . Instrumentation is provided by an autoharp , drums , <unk> , military drums , percussion and a piano . In an interview for Complex , Wyatt said that the song is built in " tsunami form " , stating that " the real pay @-@ off " does not come until the final refrain . According to critic Josh <unk> of Spin , the song " dips its toes in the kind of <unk> @-@ rock <unk> by <unk> but mixes in some organic , tribal fun à la <unk> " . Wyatt sings with falsetto vocals , which Chris <unk> of The A.V. Club thought recalled a " sad @-@ faced " Peter Gabriel . In the chorus , Wyatt sings , " My love won 't be saved / We 'll all be staring at the wave " . Winnberg told Billboard that " The Wave " " kind of sums up a lot what Miike Snow is about " . 
