"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Anything But" by Hozier. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: playful, reflective, uplifting. Visual style: contemporary 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."
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
118
BPM
Anything But by Hozier is 118 BPM — Moderato (moderate).
Half-time 59 BPM · Double-time 236 BPM · released 2023
Fan image for "Anything But"
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.
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Song DNA
Notes: Upbeat and vibrant production with dynamic shifts from soft to seismic loudness creates an engaging but not overwhelming sensory experience. Layered instrumentation supports Hozier's expressive vocals without harsh edges.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: emotional release energy movement
An upbeat, escapist track exploring themes of identity dissolution and the desire to run away from one's current self, presented with a happy, summery vibe.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: playful, reflective, uplifting
Traditions: alternative rock, indie folk
Volume Warning
"Anything But" 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. Hozier 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 Hozier's catalog
We have 38 songs from Hozier in the library. Of those, 8 are rated Safe, 28 Moderate, and 2 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.2, making it the #17 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Unreal Unearth
We have 13 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Would That I — moderate DR 6
- Francesca — moderate DR 7
- All Things End — moderate DR 7
- Unknown / Nth — moderate DR 7
- De Selby (Part 1) — safe DR 4
- De Selby (Part 2) — moderate DR 7
- Damage Gets Done — moderate DR 7
- First Light — moderate DR 7
- Abstract (Psychopomp) — safe DR 4
- Son of Nyx — moderate DR 4
- Butchered Tongue — moderate DR 7
- To Someone From a Warm Climate — moderate DR 7
2023 context
Released in 2023. We have 188 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.1/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2020s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
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How fast is "Anything But"?
118 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Cooking, casual listening, cleaning, dinner music.
Browse more songs at 118 BPM.
When "Anything But" 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
Maybe — at 118 BPM this is more warm-up or cool-down pace than peak-effort running.
✗
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.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
I Listened to Every Radiohead Album Through a Sensory Lens — Here's What I Found
Radiohead's nine albums analyzed through dynamic range, texture, and emotional intensity — from Pablo Honey's raw stadium rock to A Moon Sha…
Nick Cave's albums ranked by emotional darkness — which one is your nervous system ready for?
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds made some of the most devastating music in rock history. But not all darkness is the same. This guide ranks his …
Why Post-Rock Works for Focus — The Logic of Slow Builds
Why post-rock holds attention that slides off everything else: long builds, few sudden changes, and enough happening to occupy the part of y…
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 “Anything But” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-13. 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
Mistakes — Sharon Van Etten · 99%Eyes of the World — Fleetwood Mac · 99%Walk Unafraid — R.E.M. · 99%Dracula — Tame Impala · 99%
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
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2023 in context
The 188 songs we’ve measured from 2023 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 7/10, 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
Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo43
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Anything But"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Anything But" by Hozier?
"Anything But" by Hozier has a tempo of 118 BPM (Moderato (moderate)). At half-time that is 59 BPM, and at double-time 236 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Anything But" by Hozier?
"Anything But" by Hozier 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 "Anything But" — what is its dynamic range?
"Anything But" 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 "Anything But" have sudden or surprising changes?
"Anything But" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "Anything But" best for?
In our library "Anything But" 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 "Anything But" released?
"Anything But" is from 2023, on the album "Unreal Unearth". It appears in our 2020s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Anything But"?
We tag "Anything But" as playful, reflective, uplifting. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Anything But"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Anything But" good for running?
Not really — at 118 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Anything But" 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 "Anything But" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Anything But"?
"Anything But" 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.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.