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10 songs that feel like It's Natural to Be Afraid
Matched to It's Natural to Be Afraid by Explosions in the Sky on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 98% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).
98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.
Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 98% alike.
Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.
A 94% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and sits a little calmer at 50/100.
96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.
Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 96% alike.
Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.
A 96% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (66 BPM).
99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when It's Natural to Be Afraid is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 45/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.
It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 59/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. 57/100, versus the original's 60.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 57/100, down from 60.
Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 26/100 — the pull without the edge.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 50/100.
Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. 49/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “It's Natural to Be Afraid” by Explosions in the Sky?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “Christmas Steps” by Mogwai, “Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “Trio Élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9” by Sergei Rachmaninoff — the top match scores 98% 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 “It's Natural to Be Afraid” but calmer?
“Light Blue” by Snail Mail, “Cold” by Chris Stapleton, “Summertime/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” by Mahalia Jackson keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.
How intense is “It's Natural to Be Afraid”?
It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and instrumental. 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
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 60/100 comes from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a huge quiet-to-loud swing: 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 near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — 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.
Dial the feeling up or down
What it’s good for
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2007 in context
The 311 songs we’ve measured from 2007 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 9/10, 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
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?
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