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10 songs that feel like Squalor Victoria

Matched to Squalor Victoria by The National 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
Squalor Victoria
The National
moderate 55/100 intensity 140 BPM
ballad of a homeschooled girl — Olivia Rodrigo moderate 135 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours — The Smiths moderate 128 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

The Working Hour — Tears for Fears moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Measured 98% alike.

Steam Engenius — Modest Mouse moderate 140 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

CORSO — Tyler, the Creator moderate 143 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (143 BPM).

Digital Witness — St. Vincent moderate 137 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

Gone — U2 moderate 124 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 97% alike.

Friction — Television moderate 145 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

Villiers Terrace — Echo & the Bunnymen moderate 135 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

Foreclosure of a Dream — Megadeth moderate 148 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 55.

William, It Was Really Nothing by The Smiths
William, It Was Really Nothing — The Smiths safe 92 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 25/100 — the pull without the edge.

The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton — The Mountain Goats safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 14/100.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 55.

Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 19/100, down from 55.

Cornerstone — Arctic Monkeys safe 128 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 12/100.

If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot
If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 16/100, versus the original's 55.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Squalor Victoria” by The National?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “ballad of a homeschooled girl” by Olivia Rodrigo, “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours” by The Smiths, “The Working Hour” by Tears for Fears — 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 “Squalor Victoria” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths, “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” by The Mountain Goats keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Squalor Victoria”?

It measures 55/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 75% of songs, calmer than the other 25%. Its intensity reading of 55/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 90% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout7/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2007 in context

The 311 songs we’ve measured from 2007 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity55
Dynamics67
Tempo56
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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