 Critical reception of " The Wave " was generally positive . Adam <unk> of Entertainment Weekly named it one of the best tracks on Happy to You , while Will Salmon of Clash and Amber <unk> of The Huffington Post called it a standout . Exclaim ! ' s Ashley Hampson deemed it " incredibly catchy " , writing that it " capitalize [ s ] on the falsetto <unk> of vocalist Andrew Wyatt " . Andy <unk> of musicOMH described the track as " much more like the Miike Snow that many came to know and love " . The writer praised the piano and marching drums for " giving the song a sense of direction that the opener lacked " . Caroline Sullivan , writing for The Guardian , commented that " a martial beat , <unk> languid vocals and a <unk> <unk> give ' The Wave ' a <unk> kick " , and Slant Magazine 's Kevin <unk> wrote that the beat " succeeds " . 
