← Back to Threads

10 songs that feel like Threads

Matched to Threads by Portishead 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
Threads
Portishead
intense 82/100 intensity 85 BPM
A&W — Lana Del Rey intense 75 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100).

Today — The Smashing Pumpkins intense 92 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100). Same layered texture.

Let It Die — Foo Fighters intense 95 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100). Measured 94% alike.

ST. CHROMA — Tyler, the Creator intense 85 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Same layered texture.

Posing for Cars — Japanese Breakfast intense 70 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100).

Little Black Submarines — The Black Keys intense 80 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 89/100. Same layered texture.

Break It Up — Patti Smith intense 85 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

Come Together — Spiritualized intense 90 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100). Same layered texture.

Bleed the Freak — Alice in Chains intense 90 BPM

A 90% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and sits a little calmer at 74/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

Mother I Sober — Kendrick Lamar intense 60 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Love Me — The Pretty Reckless moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 46/100, down from 82. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Thunder Rolls — Garth Brooks moderate 72 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 49/100 — the pull without the edge.

Remedy — Seether moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Angels Fall — Breaking Benjamin moderate 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 82. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde
Yellow Flicker Beat — Lorde moderate 96 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 54/100, down from 82.

Be Free by J. Cole
Be Free — J. Cole moderate 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge.

The Asphalt World by Suede
The Asphalt World — Suede moderate 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 65/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Young Liars — TV on the Radio moderate 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 50/100, versus the original's 82. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Threads” by Portishead?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “A&W” by Lana Del Rey, “Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Let It Die” by Foo Fighters — 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 “Threads” but calmer?

“Love Me” by The Pretty Reckless, “Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks, “Remedy” by Seether keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Threads”?

It measures 82/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, extreme sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 85 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 95% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 82/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, extreme 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 95% 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
Focus1/10
Workout6/10
Dinner4/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2008 in context

The 259 songs we’ve measured from 2008 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

Intensity82
Dynamics78
Tempo25
Surprise100
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 →