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10 songs that feel like Anthrocene

Matched to Anthrocene by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Anthrocene
The song you love
Anthrocene
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
moderate 57/100 intensity 85 BPM
La Mer — Nine Inch Nails moderate 93 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (93 BPM).

Journey Through the Past — Neil Young moderate 95 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Same layered texture.

Can I Believe You — Fleet Foxes moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — runs a little hotter at 63/100. Measured 92% alike.

Pretty Sweet — Frank Ocean intense 80 BPM

Measures 92% the same. It runs a little hotter at 64/100. Same layered texture.

To Bring You My Love — PJ Harvey intense 96 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and runs a little hotter at 66/100.

Futura Free — Frank Ocean moderate 80 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Same layered texture.

In the Light — Led Zeppelin moderate 72 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — runs a little hotter at 63/100. Measured 90% alike.

Staircase — Radiohead intense 85 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

I Know It's Over — Jeff Buckley intense 85 BPM

A 87% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and runs a little hotter at 68/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Louisiana Blues — Muddy Waters moderate 90 BPM

87% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Anthrocene is more than you want right now.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 57. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please by James Brown
Please, Please, Please — James Brown safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 32/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Prophecy by Taylor Swift
The Prophecy — Taylor Swift safe 96 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 17/100.

Broken-Hearted Girl by Beyoncé
Broken-Hearted Girl — Beyoncé safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 15/100, versus the original's 57.

That's the Way by Led Zeppelin
That's the Way — Led Zeppelin safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 21/100, down from 57.

Fingertips by Lana Del Rey
Fingertips — Lana Del Rey safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge.

Killer by Phoebe Bridgers
Killer — Phoebe Bridgers safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 16/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Moon Song by Phoebe Bridgers
Moon Song — Phoebe Bridgers safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. 11/100, versus the original's 57.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Anthrocene” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “La Mer” by Nine Inch Nails, “Journey Through the Past” by Neil Young, “Can I Believe You” by Fleet Foxes — the top match scores 96% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Anthrocene” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Please, Please, Please” by James Brown, “The Prophecy” by Taylor Swift keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Anthrocene”?

It measures 57/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 85 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 76% of songs, calmer than the other 24%. Its intensity reading of 57/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus4/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

2016 in context

The 368 songs we’ve measured from 2016 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity57
Dynamics56
Tempo25
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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