Slip Away

Perfume Genius
No Shape (2017)
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

Slip Away by Perfume Genius is 120 BPM — Allegro (fast).

Half-time 60 BPM · Double-time 240 BPM · released 2017

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Fan image for "Slip Away"

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 Slip Away by Perfume Genius
The prompt that made this image Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Slip Away" by Perfume Genius. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: emotional, introspective, serene. 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.

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"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Slip Away" by Perfume Genius. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: emotional, introspective, serene. 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."

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Song DNA

Dynamic Range7/10
Sudden Changesmild
Texturelayered
Predictabilitymedium
Vocal Styledynamic vocals
Notes: The song features lush, layered instrumentation with emotionally charged dynamic vocals that create a rich auditory experience. Its gentle build-up and expressive delivery evoke a sense of introspection and warmth.

Misophonia Triggers

Mouth Soundsnone
Percussive Clicksnone
Breathing Soundsmild
Repetitive Micro-soundsmild

A hauntingly beautiful track that explores themes of love and identity through ethereal soundscapes and powerful vocal performances.

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Hear it the way it was made

The right gear changes everything.

Moods: emotional, introspective, serene

Traditions: art pop

Volume Warning

"Slip Away" 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. Perfume Genius 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 Perfume Genius's catalog

We have 20 songs from Perfume Genius in the library. Of those, 0 are rated Safe, 20 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits at the artist average of 7.0, making it the #4 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.

Other tracks from No Shape

We have 3 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.

2017 context

Released in 2017. We have 461 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.0/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2010s.

Explore by mood and tradition

Moods
emotional · 2198introspective · 5733serene · 738
Traditions
art pop · 110

Guides that may help

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Karma Police began as a band in-joke and became one of Radiohead’s defining songs — a queasy meditat…

How fast is "Slip Away"?

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 "Slip Away" 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.

Related reading

Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.

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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 “Slip Away” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.

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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: 2026-04-17. 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.

2017 in context

The 461 songs we’ve measured from 2017 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. 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
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Frequently asked about "Slip Away"

Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.

What is the BPM of "Slip Away" by Perfume Genius?

"Slip Away" by Perfume Genius 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 "Slip Away" by Perfume Genius?

"Slip Away" by Perfume Genius 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 "Slip Away" — what is its dynamic range?

"Slip Away" 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 "Slip Away" have sudden or surprising changes?

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

What is "Slip Away" best for?

In our library "Slip Away" is recommended for: emotional release, meditation, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.

When was "Slip Away" released?

"Slip Away" is from 2017, on the album "No Shape". It appears in our 2010s catalog.

What is the emotional mood of "Slip Away"?

We tag "Slip Away" as emotional, introspective, serene. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.

What is the vocal style of "Slip Away"?

The vocal style is dynamic vocals.

Is "Slip Away" 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 "Slip Away" 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 "Slip Away" for sleep?

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

Should I listen to "Slip Away"?

"Slip Away" 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.

One Heartbeat
Smokey Robinson
moderate
DR 6
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Arcade Fire
moderate
DR 7
One Wing
Wilco
moderate
DR 7
Papa Legba
Talking Heads
moderate
DR 6
Caldonia
B.B. King
moderate
DR 7
Suckin a Big Bottle of Gin
Joe Ely
moderate
DR 6

Safer alternatives with a similar feel

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

Water Shows the Hidden Heart
Enya safe
Ripples
Genesis safe
Blowin' in the Wind
Bob Dylan safe
If I Were a Boy
Beyoncé safe
Please, Please, Please
James Brown 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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