Joji If It Only Gets Better Meaning and Review

“If It Only Gets Better” is the second single and fifth track from Joji’s fourth studio album Piss In The Wind. Clocking in at just over a minute, the track proves that brevity doesn’t have to sacrifice emotional weight. Released on November 3, 2025, after being teased through Joji’s Instagram story, the song continues the lo-fi, introspective aesthetic that has become his signature. Yet it feels even more stripped down, more intimate, and more resigned than much of his previous work. Produced by Wonton, the track blends quiet melancholy with hazy production, forming something that feels less like a single and more like a fleeting thought caught in passing.

Production and Atmosphere

The production of “If It Only Gets Better” thrives on minimalism. The breathy atmosphere leaves plenty of room for a delicate, sweet guitar line to take center stage, gently cradling Joji’s mumbling vocals. The track’s deep bass line doesn’t overwhelm; it hums beneath the mix, anchoring the dreamy looseness of the piece with subtle gravity. Every sonic element feels intentional yet unpolished, capturing the rawness that defines Piss In The Wind. The lo-fi texture makes the song feel personal, like a recording made alone in a dimly lit room with the world muted just beyond the walls.

Lyrics and Themes

Lyrically, Joji keeps things as simple as possible, but that’s where the song’s strength lies. The repeated refrain, “If it only gets better from here,” suggests cautious optimism, but the follow-up, “Then what’s there to change about it?” betrays a sense of apathy or emotional fatigue. It’s a short conversation with oneself, maybe even a deflection of deeper reflection. When Joji sings, “Shit, I just won’t think about it,” he perfectly captures the tension between wanting growth and being too drained to pursue it. His delivery, half-whispered and mumbled, turns the line into something deeply human and painfully relatable.

The Emotional Outro

The outro, with its series of wordless “oohs,” feels like an exhale, a release of emotion without the need for explanation. These vocals float over the lingering guitar, fading like a memory or a sigh. In that moment, the song achieves something rare: it says everything it needs to by saying almost nothing at all. The repetition and soft delivery make it feel like a meditation, or even an emotional placeholder, an acknowledgment of feelings too blurry to define.

If It Only Gets Better Review

“If It Only Gets Better” is a perfect example of Joji’s ability to convey complex emotions through simplicity. At barely a minute long, it’s less a song and more a moment, an introspective flicker of vulnerability suspended in sound. Despite its brevity, it lingers, inviting listeners to sit quietly with their own thoughts. It’s minimal, melancholic, and fleeting, but that’s precisely what makes it so effective. In the context of Piss In The Wind, it feels like a deep breath between heavier tracks, proof that sometimes the smallest gestures leave the most lasting impressions.

Listen To Joji If It Only Gets Better 

Joji If It Only Gets Better Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of “If It Only Gets Better” by Joji is the quiet struggle between hope and emotional exhaustion. The song captures a fleeting moment of reflection where the artist questions the value of change if things are bound to improve on their own. Through its minimal lyrics, breathy production, and subdued delivery, Joji portrays the feeling of wanting to believe in something better while simultaneously being too drained to care. It is a snapshot of emotional avoidance, the act of pushing away difficult thoughts instead of confronting them, delivered with a soft melancholy that feels deeply human. Beneath its simplicity lies a subtle commentary on how hope can sometimes feel like a burden, especially when the effort to maintain it becomes too heavy to bear.

Opening Line and Tone

“If It Only Gets Better” opens with the line “If it only gets better from here,” which immediately sets the tone of tentative optimism. Rather than a firm declaration, it feels like a hopeful whisper to oneself, the kind of quiet reassurance one gives after enduring something difficult. Joji’s delivery makes it sound fragile and uncertain, as if he’s not entirely convinced by his own words. The line reflects a subtle duality: the desire to believe in improvement and the awareness that such belief might be naïve or fleeting.

Repetition and Emotional Ambiguity

The repetition of “If it only gets better from here” deepens this emotional ambiguity. Saying it twice transforms it into something meditative, almost like an internal mantra. Yet, it also hints at doubt; repeating a statement can sometimes make it sound less convincing, as though Joji is trying to talk himself into feeling something he doesn’t truly feel. This repetition contributes to the song’s soft, looping structure, mirroring the way anxious or uncertain thoughts can circle endlessly in the mind.

Questioning and Resignation

When Joji sings “Then what’s there to change about it?”, he shifts from passive hope to quiet questioning. This lyric introduces a layer of existential reflection. If things are destined to get better, what’s the point in changing anything? Beneath that simple phrasing lies a mix of cynicism and exhaustion. It’s not a question seeking an answer, but rather a shrug of emotional resignation. Joji acknowledges the idea of improvement but remains detached from it, embodying a tension between wanting growth and lacking the motivation to pursue it.

Avoidance and Emotional Fatigue

The next line, “Shit, I just won’t think about it,” brings the song’s introspection to a sudden halt. The casual expletive grounds the thought in realism, undercutting the reflective tone of the previous lines. It feels like a defense mechanism, a moment of giving up on overanalyzing feelings that are too heavy to process. This decision to “not think about it” isn’t resolution, but rather avoidance born from fatigue. Joji captures the all-too-human impulse to push away difficult emotions instead of confronting them, choosing numbness as a temporary relief.

Wordless Outro and Emotional Drift

The outro, composed entirely of breathy, wordless vocals — “Ooh, ooh, ooh / Ooh, ooh, ooh / Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh / Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh” — conveys emotion without language. These soft hums act as an exhale following the mental tension of the verse, representing a kind of surrender. The absence of words reinforces the theme of emotional detachment, as if Joji has drifted past thinking and into pure feeling, or perhaps into the absence of feeling altogether. The outro’s repetition and airy production make it feel like he’s floating away from his own thoughts, leaving behind only echoes.

If It Only Gets Better Outro

“If It Only Gets Better” captures a fleeting moment of emotional limbo. Through sparse lyrics and a gentle instrumental backdrop, Joji paints the experience of trying to stay hopeful while quietly giving up on the effort it requires. The song’s brevity and simplicity mirror the short-lived nature of such thoughts, a sigh disguised as a song, suspended between melancholy and acceptance.

Joji If It Only Gets Better Lyrics 

[Verse]

If it only gets better from here

If it only gets better from here

Then what's there to change about it?

Shit, I just won't think about it

[Outro]

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh