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10 songs that feel like Mars

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

Mars
The song you love
Mars
Caribou
moderate 41/100 intensity 120 BPM
Pilots — Goldfrapp moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Crystalline Green — Goldfrapp moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

Dreaming — Goldfrapp moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Smile Around the Face — Four Tet moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

Chasing the Lovebirds — Howard Jones moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Conditioning — Howard Jones moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

One More Symphony — Howard Jones moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Illuminate — Orbital moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

One Perfect Sunrise — Orbital moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

La Femme Savage — 808 State moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 34/100 — the pull without the edge.

Stand — R.E.M. safe 106 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 40/100.

Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
Shiny Happy People — R.E.M. safe 135 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 42/100, versus the original's 41.

Holiday by Vampire Weekend
Holiday — Vampire Weekend safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 45/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Time I Know It's for Real by Donna Summer
This Time I Know It's for Real — Donna Summer safe 118 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

When Tomorrow Comes — Eurythmics safe 117 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Roanoke by Bill Monroe
Roanoke — Bill Monroe safe 128 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 18/100, versus the original's 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Mars” by Caribou?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Pilots” by Goldfrapp, “Crystalline Green” by Goldfrapp, “Dreaming” by Goldfrapp — 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 “Mars” but calmer?

“Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “Friday I'm In Love” by The Cure, “Stand” by R.E.M. keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Mars”?

It measures 41/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 120 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 35% of songs, calmer than the other 65%. Its intensity reading of 41/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout5/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2020 in context

The 475 songs we’ve measured from 2020 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. 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

Intensity41
Dynamics56
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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