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10 songs that feel like The Killing Moon

Matched to The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The Killing Moon
The song you love
The Killing Moon
Echo and the Bunnymen
moderate 42/100 intensity 92 BPM
Riders on the Storm — The Doors moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Red Eyes — The War on Drugs moderate 100 BPM

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

Heaven for the Sinner — Bonobo moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same spacious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

Waltz No. 1 — Elliott Smith moderate 90 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Tides — Bonobo moderate 95 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

First Circle — Pat Metheny Group moderate 95 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

Radio Cure — Wilco moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same spacious pull — sits a little calmer at 34/100. Measured 92% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

MmmHmm — Flying Lotus moderate 85 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

Plush — Stone Temple Pilots moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Love Sick — Bob Dylan moderate 90 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Plainsong by The Cure
Plainsong — The Cure safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 21/100, down from 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Tea in the Sahara — The Police safe 104 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge.

Solid Colors by Liz Story
Solid Colors — Liz Story safe 75 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 14/100.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor
Fire and Rain — James Taylor safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 21/100, down from 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Photograph by Ed Sheeran
Photograph — Ed Sheeran safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 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 20/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Waterfalls by TLC
Waterfalls — TLC safe 82 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 38/100, versus the original's 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Killing Moon” by Echo and the Bunnymen?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors, “Red Eyes” by The War on Drugs, “Heaven for the Sinner” by Bonobo — 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 “The Killing Moon” but calmer?

“Plainsong” by The Cure, “Tea in the Sahara” by The Police, “Solid Colors” by Liz Story keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Killing Moon”?

It measures 42/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 92 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 38% of songs, calmer than the other 62%. Its intensity reading of 42/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. 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 deep calm: more extreme on that axis than 62% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — 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
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1984 in context

The 222 songs we’ve measured from 1984 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. 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

Intensity42
Dynamics67
Tempo29
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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