← Back to Less than Zero

10 songs that feel like Less than Zero

Matched to Less than Zero by The Weeknd on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Less than Zero
The song you love
Less than Zero
The Weeknd
moderate 43/100 intensity 90 BPM
Forgive Them Father — Lauryn Hill safe 80 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100).

Roses — Kanye West moderate 90 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Everything Will Flow — Suede moderate 88 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (88 BPM).

How Beautiful You Are — The Cure moderate 104 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

Demons — The National moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

That's the Way of the World — Earth, Wind & Fire safe 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

What Do You Want from Me — Pink Floyd moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

1952 Vincent Black Lightning — Richard Thompson safe 85 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

There Must Be a Better World Somewhere — B.B. King moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Old King Coal — Sturgill Simpson moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 12/100, down from 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 28/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 23/100.

Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 22/100, versus the original's 43.

White Horse by Taylor Swift
White Horse — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 23/100, down from 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Male Fantasy by Billie Eilish
Male Fantasy — Billie Eilish safe 90 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 26/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sad Beautiful Tragic by Taylor Swift
Sad Beautiful Tragic — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Less than Zero” by The Weeknd?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Forgive Them Father” by Lauryn Hill, “Roses” by Kanye West, “Everything Will Flow” by Suede — 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 “Less than Zero” but calmer?

“Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Less than Zero”?

It measures 43/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. 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

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 39% of songs, calmer than the other 61%. Its intensity reading of 43/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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 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

Intensity43
Dynamics56
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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 →