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10 songs that feel like Doin' the Cockroach

Matched to Doin' the Cockroach by Modest Mouse 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
Doin' the Cockroach
Modest Mouse
intense 71/100 intensity 160 BPM
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Trash — New York Dolls intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100).

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Night — Bruce Springsteen intense 120 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100). Same layered texture.

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Free Money — Patti Smith intense 145 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Hallo Spaceboy — David Bowie intense 144 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Same layered texture.

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Dirty Boots — Sonic Youth intense 144 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100).

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Mofo — U2 intense 142 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Same layered texture.

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Frankenstein — New York Dolls intense 142 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Measured 96% alike.

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Precious Things — Tori Amos intense 135 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Same layered texture.

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Everybody's Happy Nowadays — Buzzcocks moderate 120 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and sits a little calmer at 64/100.

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Switch — Siouxsie and the Banshees intense 135 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Doin' the Cockroach is more than you want right now.

Long Road to Ruin by Foo Fighters
Long Road to Ruin — Foo Fighters moderate 145 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 55/100, down from 71.

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I Wanna Live — Ramones moderate 140 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 48/100 — the pull without the edge.

The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths moderate 140 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 62/100.

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Man-Sized Wreath — R.E.M. moderate 138 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 54/100, versus the original's 71.

Ain't Got No, I Got Life by Nina Simone
Ain't Got No, I Got Life — Nina Simone moderate 130 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 49/100, down from 71.

No Future Shock by TV on the Radio
No Future Shock — TV on the Radio moderate 120 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 64/100 — the pull without the edge.

Jonathan Fisk by Spoon
Jonathan Fisk — Spoon moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 46/100.

Everybody's Happy Nowadays by Buzzcocks
Everybody's Happy Nowadays — Buzzcocks moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 64/100, versus the original's 71.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Doin' the Cockroach” by Modest Mouse?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Trash” by New York Dolls, “Night” by Bruce Springsteen, “Free Money” by Patti Smith — the top match scores 96% 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 “Doin' the Cockroach” but calmer?

“Long Road to Ruin” by Foo Fighters, “I Wanna Live” by Ramones, “The Queen Is Dead” by The Smiths keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Doin' the Cockroach”?

It measures 71/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 160 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 90% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 71/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 95% 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
Focus2/10
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1997 in context

The 389 songs we’ve measured from 1997 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity71
Dynamics78
Tempo67
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
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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