Songfacts®:

• "We Survive" explores the darker side of weekend partying and escapism. "It's basically a song about Scotland's national pastime – having a party," Macdonald told The Sun. "We know it's bad, but people need an escape and that's how they do it. We're constantly bombarded with stress, so it's not surprising that people just want to let loose."
• Macdonald said the spark came from watching two of her closest friends - "absolute party animals," as she calls them - and wondering how on earth they still managed it.
• Macdonald's breakthrough hit, "This Is The Life," is a carefree ode to youth and endless nights. "We Survive" feels like its older, wiser sibling, one that knows the hangover will be worse but goes out anyway. It's a toast raised in half-celebration, half-resignation; a laugh in the dark because the lights might not come back on otherwise.
• The song was written solely by Macdonald and produced by Jim Abbiss, whose other credits include Arctic Monkeys' Mercury-winning debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not and Adele's 19 and 21.
• "We Survive" sits within the broader landscape of Is This What You've Been Waiting For?, Macdonald's 2025 album that wrestles with survival, resilience, and the small acts of rebellion that keep us human.