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10 songs that feel like Caveman

Matched to Caveman by Cursive 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
Caveman
Cursive
moderate 61/100 intensity 130 BPM
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Grendel — Sunny Day Real Estate moderate 130 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (130 BPM).

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Owner of a Lonely Heart — Yes moderate 132 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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Outdoor Miner — Wire moderate 135 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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Long Distance Runaround — Yes moderate 138 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

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Waited All Night — Jamie xx moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

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Take Me to the Pilot — Elton John moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Down Boy — Yeah Yeah Yeahs moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Pheurton Skeurto — Sunny Day Real Estate moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Nature Boy — Primus moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

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Stop — Jane's Addiction moderate 120 BPM

98% 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 Caveman is more than you want right now.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

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

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You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon — American Football safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 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 24/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 40/100, versus the original's 61.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 29/100, down from 61.

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.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 38/100, versus the original's 61.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Caveman” by Cursive?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Grendel” by Sunny Day Real Estate, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes, “Outdoor Miner” by Wire — 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 “Caveman” but calmer?

“Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon” by American Football, “It's Too Late” by Carole King keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Caveman”?

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.

2003 in context

The 365 songs we’ve measured from 2003 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity61
Dynamics67
Tempo50
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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