← Back to Higgs Boson Blues

10 songs that feel like Higgs Boson Blues

Matched to Higgs Boson Blues by Nick Cave and 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.

Higgs Boson Blues
The song you love
Higgs Boson Blues
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
intense 63/100 intensity 70 BPM
Invincible — Tool moderate 70 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (70 BPM).

Like Spinning Plates — Radiohead intense 85 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Street Hassle — Lou Reed intense 60 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Measured 98% alike.

I Am Who Am (Killin' Time) — Mac Miller intense 95 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

The Asphalt World — Suede moderate 85 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100).

The Argument — Fugazi intense 95 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Mr. Morale — Kendrick Lamar intense 92 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Measured 96% alike.

The Great Below — Nine Inch Nails intense 92 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It runs a little hotter at 74/100. Same layered texture.

ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts — The Smashing Pumpkins intense 85 BPM

A 88% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100).

My Cosmos Is Mine — Depeche Mode moderate 90 BPM

89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100).

…and if you want it calmer

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

Heaven — Talking Heads safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 12/100, down from 63. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Dagger — Slowdive moderate 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Wakin on a Pretty Daze — Kurt Vile moderate 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 27/100.

Father to a Sister of Thought by Pavement
Father to a Sister of Thought — Pavement safe 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 39/100, versus the original's 63.

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Dear Prudence — Siouxsie and the Banshees moderate 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 46/100, down from 63. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Bells Ring by Mazzy Star
Bells Ring — Mazzy Star moderate 60 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 14/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Killing for Love by José González
Killing for Love — José González moderate 70 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 8. Reads 11/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Parasite by Nick Drake
Parasite — Nick Drake moderate 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. 15/100, versus the original's 63. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Higgs Boson Blues” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Invincible” by Tool, “Like Spinning Plates” by Radiohead, “Street Hassle” by Lou Reed — 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 “Higgs Boson Blues” but calmer?

“Heaven” by Talking Heads, “Dagger” by Slowdive, “Wakin on a Pretty Daze” by Kurt Vile keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Higgs Boson Blues”?

It measures 63/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 70 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 83% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 63/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 96% 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
Focus3/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2013 in context

The 408 songs we’ve measured from 2013 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity63
Dynamics78
Tempo17
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →