← Back to Anti-Hero

10 songs that feel like Anti-Hero

Matched to Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Anti-Hero
The song you love
Anti-Hero
Taylor Swift
moderate 40/100 intensity 108 BPM
♪
Dirty Boulevard — Lou Reed moderate 95 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100).

♪
Come As You Are — Nirvana moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Little Lies — Fleetwood Mac moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Measured 98% alike.

♪
Good Ol' Boys Club — Kacey Musgraves moderate 90 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Evil Ways — Santana moderate 110 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and sits a little calmer at 34/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

♪
Magnetized — Wilco moderate 95 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

♪
The Boxer — Simon & Garfunkel moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 94% alike.

♪
Got 'Til It's Gone — Janet Jackson moderate 92 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Atlas Air — Massive Attack moderate 85 BPM

A 90% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100).

♪
What's Going On — Marvin Gaye moderate 90 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

The Man in Black by Johnny Cash
The Man in Black — Johnny Cash safe 88 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 32/100, down from 40.

The Girl from Ipanema by Antonio Carlos Jobim
The Girl from Ipanema — Antonio Carlos Jobim safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sæglópur by Sigur Rós
Sæglópur — Sigur Rós safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 31/100.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 40.

Don't Know Why by Norah Jones
Don't Know Why — Norah Jones safe 84 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 20/100, down from 40.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised — Gil Scott-Heron safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 32/100.

Awake by Tycho
Awake — Tycho safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 26/100, versus the original's 40.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Dirty Boulevard” by Lou Reed, “Come As You Are” by Nirvana, “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac — the top match scores 93% 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 “Anti-Hero” but calmer?

“The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash, “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Sæglópur” by Sigur Rós keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Anti-Hero”?

It measures 40/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 108 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 34% of songs, calmer than the other 66%. Its intensity reading of 40/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

2022 in context

The 362 songs we’ve measured from 2022 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity40
Dynamics56
Tempo38
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?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →