← Back to Starpower

10 songs that feel like Starpower

Matched to Starpower by Sonic Youth 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
Starpower
Sonic Youth
intense 66/100 intensity 140 BPM
The Sad Skinhead — Faust intense 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

Frame by Frame — King Crimson intense 137 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

Institutionalized — Kendrick Lamar intense 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

All the Rage Back Home — Interpol moderate 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

Not That Funny — Fleetwood Mac intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

On Sight — Kanye West intense 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

Is She Weird — Pixies intense 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

Icky Thump — The White Stripes intense 140 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

Dance on a Volcano — Genesis intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

Super Stupid — Funkadelic intense 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Actor Out of Work by St. Vincent
Actor Out of Work — St. Vincent moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 60/100, down from 66.

Ohio — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young moderate 128 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 50/100 — the pull without the edge.

Bull in the Heather — Sonic Youth moderate 125 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 43/100.

Peace Frog — The Doors moderate 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 52/100, versus the original's 66.

Everything Counts by Depeche Mode
Everything Counts — Depeche Mode moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 49/100, down from 66.

Ready to Start by Arcade Fire
Ready to Start — Arcade Fire moderate 120 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 60/100 — the pull without the edge.

Red Right Hand — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 114 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 49/100.

When the Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys
When the Sun Goes Down — Arctic Monkeys moderate 168 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 66.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Starpower” by Sonic Youth?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “The Sad Skinhead” by Faust, “Frame by Frame” by King Crimson, “Institutionalized” by Kendrick Lamar — 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 “Starpower” but calmer?

“Actor Out of Work” by St. Vincent, “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Bull in the Heather” by Sonic Youth keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Starpower”?

It measures 66/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 87% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 66/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1986 in context

The 223 songs we’ve measured from 1986 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. 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

Intensity66
Dynamics67
Tempo56
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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 →