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10 songs that feel like Heavy Bend

Matched to Heavy Bend by Big Thief on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Heavy Bend
The song you love
Heavy Bend
Big Thief
moderate 34/100 intensity 85 BPM
Radio Cure — Wilco moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

MmmHmm — Flying Lotus moderate 85 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Don't Stop — The Stone Roses moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same spacious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Measured 92% alike.

Waltz No. 1 — Elliott Smith moderate 90 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Eurochild — Massive Attack moderate 95 BPM

A 90% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100).

Untogether — Lush moderate 95 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

Master of None — Beach House moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

Future Days — Can moderate 110 BPM

Measures 92% the same. It runs a little hotter at 40/100. Same layered texture.

Any Colour You Like — Pink Floyd moderate 85 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (36/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Remind U — Flying Lotus safe 85 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Sly by Massive Attack
Sly — Massive Attack safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 15/100, down from 34.

Horizon by Tycho
Horizon — Tycho safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino by Arctic Monkeys
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino — Arctic Monkeys safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. Reads 13/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Überlin by R.E.M.
Überlin — R.E.M. safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 17/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Weather Storm by Massive Attack
Weather Storm — Massive Attack safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 14/100, down from 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Otomo by Bonobo
Otomo — Bonobo safe 110 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge.

August by Taylor Swift
August — Taylor Swift safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 35/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Happiness Is a Butterfly by Lana Del Rey
Happiness Is a Butterfly — Lana Del Rey safe 78 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. 12/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Heavy Bend” by Big Thief?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Radio Cure” by Wilco, “MmmHmm” by Flying Lotus, “Don't Stop” by The Stone Roses — the top match scores 99% 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 “Heavy Bend” but calmer?

“Sly” by Massive Attack, “Horizon” by Tycho, “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” by Arctic Monkeys keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Heavy Bend”?

It measures 34/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft 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 22% of songs, calmer than the other 78%. Its intensity reading of 34/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% 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

Sleep7/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype2/10

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

2022 in context

The 362 songs we’ve measured from 2022 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity34
Dynamics44
Tempo25
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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