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10 songs that feel like When The Sun Hits

Matched to When The Sun Hits by Slowdive on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

When The Sun Hits
The song you love
When The Sun Hits
Slowdive
moderate 42/100 intensity 86 BPM
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Riders on the Storm — The Doors moderate 90 BPM

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

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Last Train Home — Fall Out Boy moderate 90 BPM

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

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The Way It Used to Be — Pet Shop Boys moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Firth of Fifth — Genesis moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

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Dust to Dust — The Civil Wars moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Tales of Brave Ulysses — Cream moderate 100 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

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No One to Depend On — Carlos Santana moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Djam Leelii — Baaba Maal moderate 90 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

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Hero of the Day — Metallica moderate 90 BPM

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

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Cornflake Girl — Tori Amos moderate 92 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 When The Sun Hits is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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.

Let Her Go by Passenger
Let Her Go — Passenger safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 19/100, versus the original's 42.

Waterfalls by TLC
Waterfalls — TLC safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 38/100, down from 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens
Mystery of Love — Sufjan Stevens safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Here's Where the Story Ends by The Sundays
Here's Where the Story Ends — The Sundays safe 90 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 21/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Why Does It Always Rain on Me? by Travis
Why Does It Always Rain on Me? — Travis safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 20/100, versus the original's 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “When The Sun Hits” by Slowdive?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors, “Last Train Home” by Fall Out Boy, “The Way It Used to Be” by Pet Shop Boys — 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 “When The Sun Hits” but calmer?

“Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, “Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “When The Sun Hits”?

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 86 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 72% 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.

1993 in context

The 260 songs we’ve measured from 1993 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

Intensity42
Dynamics67
Tempo26
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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