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10 songs that feel like Staring at the Sun

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

Staring at the Sun
The song you love
Staring at the Sun
TV on the Radio
intense 61/100 intensity 95 BPM
Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night) — Childish Gambino intense 120 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

Make It Rain — Tom Waits intense 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

Pray for Rain — Massive Attack intense 95 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

The Red and the Black — Iron Maiden intense 95 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

Jesus Lord — Kanye West intense 85 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

Headin' For the Top Now — Spiritualized intense 120 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

Voodoo — Black Sabbath intense 92 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

Heretic Pride — The Mountain Goats intense 95 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

The Heart Part 5 — Kendrick Lamar intense 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

We Call Upon the Author — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds intense 95 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Staring at the Sun is more than you want right now.

Woman in Chains by Tears for Fears
Woman in Chains — Tears for Fears moderate 104 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 58/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Pieces of a Man by Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man — Gil Scott-Heron moderate 90 BPM

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

Don't Believe the Fife — Mogwai moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 51/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sweet Heart Sweet Light — Spiritualized moderate 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 61/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

My Eyes by Travis Scott
My Eyes — Travis Scott moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 61/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Loser — Grateful Dead moderate 95 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 47/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Before We Drown by Depeche Mode
Before We Drown — Depeche Mode moderate 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Reads 58/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

My Cosmos Is Mine by Depeche Mode
My Cosmos Is Mine — Depeche Mode moderate 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 67/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Staring at the Sun” by TV on the Radio?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night)” by Childish Gambino, “Make It Rain” by Tom Waits, “Pray for Rain” by Massive Attack — the top match scores 95% 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 “Staring at the Sun” but calmer?

“Woman in Chains” by Tears for Fears, “Pieces of a Man” by Gil Scott-Heron, “Don't Believe the Fife” by Mogwai keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Staring at the Sun”?

It measures 61/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 95 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 81% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 61/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 81% 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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2004 in context

The 334 songs we’ve measured from 2004 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity61
Dynamics78
Tempo31
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load38

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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