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10 songs that feel like Boyish

Matched to Boyish by Japanese Breakfast on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Boyish
The song you love
Boyish
Japanese Breakfast
moderate 57/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Des Knaben Wunderhorn — Gustav Mahler moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Baltimore — Nina Simone moderate 90 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Same layered texture.

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Pilot Jones — Frank Ocean moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Measured 95% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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Still Ill — The Smiths moderate 92 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Same layered texture.

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You Had Your Soul With You — The National moderate 95 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100).

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Live In The Dream — St. Vincent moderate 95 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Same layered texture.

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One Woman — Isaac Hayes moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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These Days — Foo Fighters moderate 95 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

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Sweet Heart Sweet Light — Spiritualized moderate 95 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

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Drown — The Smashing Pumpkins intense 80 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 57. Nearly the same tempo, too.

That's the Way by Led Zeppelin
That's the Way — Led Zeppelin safe 72 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge.

Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino by Arctic Monkeys
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino — Arctic Monkeys safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 13/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Überlin by R.E.M.
Überlin — R.E.M. safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 17/100, versus the original's 57. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Spying Glass by Massive Attack
Spying Glass — Massive Attack safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 16/100, down from 57. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Horizon by Tycho
Horizon — Tycho safe 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

For How Long by Tycho
For How Long — Tycho safe 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 21/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Two Fish and an Elephant by Khruangbin
Two Fish and an Elephant — Khruangbin safe 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 37/100, versus the original's 57. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Boyish” by Japanese Breakfast?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” by Gustav Mahler, “Baltimore” by Nina Simone, “Pilot Jones” by Frank Ocean — 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 “Boyish” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “That's the Way” by Led Zeppelin, “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” by Arctic Monkeys keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Boyish”?

It measures 57/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 85 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 76% of songs, calmer than the other 24%. Its intensity reading of 57/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 77% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus4/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10

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

Intensity57
Dynamics67
Tempo25
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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