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10 songs that feel like Black Summer

Matched to Black Summer by Red Hot Chili Peppers on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Black Summer
The song you love
Black Summer
Red Hot Chili Peppers
moderate 61/100 intensity 130 BPM
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Treat Each Other Right — Jamie xx moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Waiting on a War — Foo Fighters moderate 128 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

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Be Above It — Tame Impala moderate 125 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (125 BPM).

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Dreamline — Rush moderate 124 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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SOS — ABBA moderate 115 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100).

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The View — Modest Mouse moderate 133 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

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Lovesexy — Prince moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100). Measured 96% alike.

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Last Dance — Donna Summer moderate 110 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100). Same layered texture.

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Love Dies Young — Foo Fighters intense 128 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Get Out of Your Own Way — U2 intense 128 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Black Summer is more than you want right now.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 34/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Stop! In the Name of Love by The Supremes
Stop! In the Name of Love — The Supremes safe 121 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 35/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
Shiny Happy People — R.E.M. safe 135 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 42/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Holiday by Vampire Weekend
Holiday — Vampire Weekend safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Time I Know It's for Real by Donna Summer
This Time I Know It's for Real — Donna Summer safe 118 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 61.

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Spicks and Specks — Bee Gees safe 136 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 42/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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When Tomorrow Comes — Eurythmics safe 117 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100.

Roanoke by Bill Monroe
Roanoke — Bill Monroe safe 128 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 18/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Black Summer” by Red Hot Chili Peppers?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Treat Each Other Right” by Jamie xx, “Waiting on a War” by Foo Fighters, “Be Above It” by Tame Impala — 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 “Black Summer” but calmer?

“Friday I'm In Love” by The Cure, “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes, “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M. keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Black Summer”?

It measures 61/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 130 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 81% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 61/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 86% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10

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 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

Intensity61
Dynamics67
Tempo50
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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