10 songs that feel like Only Shallow
Matched to Only Shallow by My Bloody Valentine on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 97% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100).
90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).
Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 93% alike.
Measures 91% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same complex texture.
A 97% feel-match — carries the same feel and lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100).
85% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 50/100.
Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 90% alike.
Measures 89% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same complex texture.
A 89% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100).
89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same complex texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Only Shallow is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 18/100, down from 64. Nearly the same tempo, too.
It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 37/100 — the pull without the edge.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 50/100.
Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. 13/100, versus the original's 64.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 37/100, down from 64.
It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 42/100 — 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 5 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 20/100.
Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 34/100, versus the original's 64. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “Only Shallow” by My Bloody Valentine?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” by Pink Floyd, “Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles, “Third Stone from the Sun” by Jimi Hendrix — the top match scores 97% 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 “Only Shallow” but calmer?
“Heaven” by Depeche Mode, “Serenade for Strings in C Major” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “OKAGA, CA” by Tyler, the Creator keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.
How intense is “Only Shallow”?
It measures 64/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, moderate sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 106 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 84% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 64/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, moderate shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 84% 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.
What it’s good for
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1991 in context
The 266 songs we’ve measured from 1991 average a dynamic range of 6.8/10. 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
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?
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