Summertime Clothes

Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
Moderate 120 BPM
AI-analyzed — check another song
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
120
BPM

Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective is 120 BPM — Allegro (fast).

Half-time 60 BPM · Double-time 240 BPM · released 2009

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Fan image for "Summertime Clothes"

An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.

Fan-driven abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
The prompt that made this image Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: joyful, playful, uplifting. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format.

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"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: joyful, playful, uplifting. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."

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Song DNA

Dynamic Range7/10
Sudden Changesmild
Texturelayered
Predictabilitymedium
Vocal Styledynamic vocals
Notes: Upbeat, propulsive track with infectious bounce from pulsing bass synth and kick drum, featuring layered harmonies and countermelodies that create a dense, vibrant soundscape without harsh abrasiveness.

Misophonia Triggers

Mouth Soundsnone
Percussive Clicksnone
Breathing Soundsnone
Repetitive Micro-soundsmild

An upbeat, funky pop song about escaping a hot night by going out with a loved one, characterized by swinging rhythms and vivid vocal harmonies.

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Hear it the way it was made

The right gear changes everything.

Moods: joyful, playful, uplifting

Traditions: experimental pop, psychedelic

Volume Warning

"Summertime Clothes" climbs hard.

Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. Animal Collective built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.

How this song sits on each sensory axis

A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.

Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.

Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.

Vocal style: dynamic vocals.

Where this sits in Animal Collective's catalog

We have 23 songs from Animal Collective in the library. Of those, 1 are rated Safe, 13 Moderate, and 9 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits at the artist average of 7.0, making it the #14 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.

Other tracks from Merriweather Post Pavilion

We have 7 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.

2009 context

Released in 2009. We have 219 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2000s.

Explore by mood and tradition

Moods
joyful · 2037playful · 1809uplifting · 1660
Traditions
experimental pop · 40psychedelic · 52

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How fast is "Summertime Clothes"?

120 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)

For running

Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.

For workouts

Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.

For daily life

Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.

Browse more songs at 120 BPM.

When "Summertime Clothes" works, and when it doesn't

Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.

Focus / studying

No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.

Running / workout

Yes — 120 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.

Sleep / winding down

No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.

Driving / road trip

Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.

Cooking / dinner background

Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.

~
Emotional release / catharsis

Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.

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Why this rating

We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.

This song in the Music Studio
53/100 intensity

See how “Summertime Clothes” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.

Check against my sensitivities → Build a calm set Analyze a playlist

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Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →

Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-14. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.

Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.

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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 69% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2009 in context

The 218 songs we’ve measured from 2009 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Frequently asked about "Summertime Clothes"

Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.

What is the BPM of "Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective?

"Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective has a tempo of 120 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 60 BPM, and at double-time 240 BPM.

What is the sensory intensity of "Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective?

"Summertime Clothes" by Animal Collective rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.

How loud is "Summertime Clothes" — what is its dynamic range?

"Summertime Clothes" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.

Does "Summertime Clothes" have sudden or surprising changes?

"Summertime Clothes" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

What is "Summertime Clothes" best for?

In our library "Summertime Clothes" is recommended for: emotional release, energy, movement. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.

When was "Summertime Clothes" released?

"Summertime Clothes" is from 2009, on the album "Merriweather Post Pavilion". It appears in our 2000s catalog.

What is the emotional mood of "Summertime Clothes"?

We tag "Summertime Clothes" as joyful, playful, uplifting. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.

What is the vocal style of "Summertime Clothes"?

The vocal style is dynamic vocals.

Is "Summertime Clothes" good for running?

Yes — at 120 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.

Is "Summertime Clothes" good for studying?

Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.

Can I use "Summertime Clothes" for sleep?

Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.

Should I listen to "Summertime Clothes"?

"Summertime Clothes" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.

Songs with the same DNA

layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.

Dreamer
Four Tet
moderate
DR 7
Euphoria
BTS
moderate
DR 6
Destrokk
MGMT
moderate
DR 6
The Enemy God
Emerson Lake and Palmer
moderate
DR 7
Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Perfume Genius
moderate
DR 7
People in the City
Air
moderate
DR 6

Safer alternatives with a similar feel

These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.

Paper Rings
Taylor Swift safe
Love in Store
Fleetwood Mac safe
Friday I'm In Love
The Cure safe
Mint Car
The Cure safe
Shiny Happy People
R.E.M. safe

What this song means to people

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Where to next?

You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.

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