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10 songs that feel like Carry the Zero

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

The song you love
Carry the Zero
Built to Spill
moderate 53/100 intensity 125 BPM
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Rome — The National moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Mayonaise — The Smashing Pumpkins moderate 126 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Walk Away — Christina Aguilera moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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Grace — Florence + the Machine moderate 124 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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I Wish I Knew — Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory moderate 110 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

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Method Acting — Bright Eyes moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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crawling in my skin — Soccer Mommy moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) — Arcade Fire moderate 120 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Stay Down — boygenius moderate 120 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Pink Turns to Blue — Hüsker Dü moderate 120 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100.

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Dark Side of the Gym — The National safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 15/100, versus the original's 53.

Revolution 0 by boygenius
Revolution 0 — boygenius safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 25/100, down from 53.

Silent All These Years by Tori Amos
Silent All These Years — Tori Amos safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge.

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You — Sting safe 102 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.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Carry the Zero” by Built to Spill?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Rome” by The National, “Mayonaise” by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Walk Away” by Christina Aguilera — 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 “Carry the Zero” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “The Times They Are a-Changin'” by Bob Dylan, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Carry the Zero”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 125 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 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 82% 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.

1999 in context

The 304 songs we’ve measured from 1999 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo47
Surprise25
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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