"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. The upbeat pop and pop rock song incorporates bright guitars, handclaps and brushed percussion with a Latin shuffle. The bright music is contrasted against Koenig's lyrics, which explore spiritual uncertainty and inevitable suffering. Koenig co-wrote the song with American rapper iLoveMakonnen, who originally wrote the line "you've been cheating on, cheating on me / I've been cheating on, cheating on you" for his song "Tonight" (2014), and English-American record producer Mark Ronson, who contributed to the song's bass line.
