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10 songs that feel like In the Mouth a Desert

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

In the Mouth a Desert
The song you love
In the Mouth a Desert
Pavement
moderate 47/100 intensity 95 BPM
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New Person, Same Old Mistakes — Tame Impala moderate 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Unknown Caller — U2 moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Chet Boghassa — Tinariwen moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Loser — Grateful Dead moderate 95 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Black Treacle — Arctic Monkeys moderate 92 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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A.D.H.D — Kendrick Lamar moderate 92 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Woman — Harry Styles moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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Laugh Now Cry Later — Drake moderate 92 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Turtleneck — The National moderate 92 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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Cool Water — Talking Heads moderate 92 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when In the Mouth a Desert is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 17/100, down from 47. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 12/100 — the pull without the edge.

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. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Thumbing My Way by Pearl Jam
Thumbing My Way — Pearl Jam safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 47.

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In My Secret Life — Leonard Cohen safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 12/100, down from 47.

You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
You Want It Darker — Leonard Cohen safe 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge.

People's Parties by Joni Mitchell
People's Parties — Joni Mitchell safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 24/100.

New Test Leper by R.E.M.
New Test Leper — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 47.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “In the Mouth a Desert” by Pavement?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala, “Unknown Caller” by U2, “Chet Boghassa” by Tinariwen — 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 “In the Mouth a Desert” but calmer?

“Überlin” by R.E.M., “Blowin' in the Wind” 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 “In the Mouth a Desert”?

It measures 47/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 95 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 49% of songs, calmer than the other 51%. Its intensity reading of 47/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1992 in context

The 233 songs we’ve measured from 1992 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 6/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity47
Dynamics56
Tempo31
Surprise25
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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