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10 songs that feel like P.E.T.R.O.L

Matched to P.E.T.R.O.L by Orbital on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
P.E.T.R.O.L
Orbital
moderate 44/100 intensity 130 BPM
Spirit Fingers — Four Tet moderate 120 BPM

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

Apache — Link Wray moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Toussaint LOuverture — Santana moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 98% alike.

Spain — Chick Corea moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Incident at Neshabur — Carlos Santana moderate 120 BPM

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

Sky Dive — Freddie Hubbard moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Angel Tears — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 98% alike.

Terminal — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

What We All Come to Need — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

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

Dead Between the Walls — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

98% 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 P.E.T.R.O.L 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 44. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Heimcomputer by Kraftwerk
Heimcomputer — Kraftwerk safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

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 7. Reads 24/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 40/100, versus the original's 44.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 29/100, down from 44.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 38/100, versus the original's 44.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “P.E.T.R.O.L” by Orbital?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Spirit Fingers” by Four Tet, “Apache” by Link Wray, “Toussaint LOuverture” by Santana — 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 “P.E.T.R.O.L” but calmer?

“Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “Heimcomputer” by Kraftwerk, “It's Too Late” by Carole King keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “P.E.T.R.O.L”?

It measures 44/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 130 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 41% of songs, calmer than the other 59%. Its intensity reading of 44/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 86% 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

Sleep5/10
Focus10/10
Workout6/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1996 in context

The 309 songs we’ve measured from 1996 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity44
Dynamics67
Tempo50
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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