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10 songs that feel like Kid for Today

Matched to Kid for Today by Boards of Canada on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Kid for Today
The song you love
Kid for Today
Boards of Canada
moderate 29/100 intensity 90 BPM
Coffin Nails — MF DOOM moderate 95 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (33/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

Black Sands — Bonobo safe 85 BPM

88% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 36/100. Same layered texture.

Claudia Lewis — M83 moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — runs a little hotter at 38/100. Measured 88% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Gold Soundz — Pavement moderate 95 BPM

Measures 87% the same. It runs a little hotter at 39/100. Same layered texture.

Magnet Pulls Through — Tortoise moderate 90 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and runs a little hotter at 36/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Cypress — Tycho safe 95 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 37/100. Same layered texture.

Underwater Sunlight — Tangerine Dream safe 95 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — runs a little hotter at 37/100. Measured 92% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

La Soirée dans Grenade — Claude Debussy safe 66 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (27/100). Same layered texture.

House by the Sea — Iron & Wine moderate 110 BPM

A 86% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and runs a little hotter at 40/100.

Two Fish and an Elephant — Khruangbin safe 95 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 37/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Olson by Boards of Canada
Olson — Boards of Canada safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 11/100, down from 29. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Telephasic Workshop by Boards of Canada
Telephasic Workshop — Boards of Canada safe 88 BPM

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

An Eagle In Your Mind by Boards of Canada
An Eagle In Your Mind — Boards of Canada safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 18/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Color of the Fire by Boards of Canada
The Color of the Fire — Boards of Canada safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 18/100, versus the original's 29. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Ready Lets Go by Boards of Canada
Ready Lets Go — Boards of Canada safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 11/100, down from 29. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 13/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mermaids by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Mermaids — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 16/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Black Sands by Bonobo
Black Sands — Bonobo safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 36/100, versus the original's 29. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Kid for Today” by Boards of Canada?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Coffin Nails” by MF DOOM, “Black Sands” by Bonobo, “Claudia Lewis” by M83 — 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 “Kid for Today” but calmer?

“Olson” by Boards of Canada, “Telephasic Workshop” by Boards of Canada, “An Eagle In Your Mind” by Boards of Canada keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Kid for Today”?

It measures 29/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 90 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 sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 81% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 29/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, layered texture, mild 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 97% 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
Workout1/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype2/10

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

1997 in context

The 389 songs we’ve measured from 1997 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 4/10, 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

Intensity29
Dynamics33
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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