Songfacts®:

• More melodic and radio-friendly than most of Pierce The Veil's previous hardcore material, this grungy rock track is about a one-sided romance.
• I sleep on the couch while you're passed out in the back
  Just want you to be my emergency contact
  
  An emergency contact is the person first responders turn to for important medical or support information. They need to be very close to the person who requires help. Here, guitarist/vocalist Vic Fuentes wants such a committed union with his love interest that she would be his emergency contract. However, she has issues and isn't ready to fully devote herself to him fully.
  
  "There's so much desperation underlying the lyrics of this song," said Fuentes. "It talks about a relationship where one person is ready to take things to the next level while the other is still unsure. One person is begging the other to either move forward or to let them out because being stuck in the middle is torture."
• Fuentes wrote "Emergency Contact" for Pierce The Veil's The Jaws Of Life at MXPX frontman Mike Herrera's Seattle home studio. The punk rock vocalist let Fuentes stay at his Monkey Trench Studio for a couple of months while working on the record. "I love writing in Seattle because it gives me all of the '90s grunge rock vibes," Fuentes said. "Plus, it rains all the time, and I love the rain."
• Fuentes co-wrote "Emergency Contact" with singer-songwriter Curtis Peoples. They also co-wrote The Jaws Of Life's lead single "Pass The Nirvana" together.
• Pierce The Veil went on a hiatus after drummer Mike Fuentes stepped down in 2018 following sexual misconduct allegations. The COVID-19 lockdown delayed things further, resulting in The Jaws of Life being the band's first album in six years. "It was extremely difficult for us to be off the road and apart for so long," said Fuentes. "We've never missed anything more than playing music together and never had such an strong appreciation for recording, touring, and simply being in the same room together than we do now. 'The Jaws Of Life' is about how life can sink its teeth into you and try to devour you. The negativity in the world and within your mind can be a vicious thing."
• "Emergency Contact" became Pierce the Veil's first #1 on a Billboard radio airplay chart when it climbed to the top of the Alternative Airplay tally dated August 5, 2023. Their previous best chart placing had been when "Circles" peaked at #31 on Alternative Airplay in 2016.