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10 songs that feel like Kissing the Lipless

Matched to Kissing the Lipless by The Shins 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
Kissing the Lipless
The Shins
moderate 50/100 intensity 130 BPM
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Massive — Drake moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Happy Idiot — TV on the Radio moderate 128 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Freddie's Dead — Curtis Mayfield moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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Slow Hands — Interpol moderate 124 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Sober — Lorde moderate 124 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (124 BPM).

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Paranoid — Kanye West moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Trouble No More — Muddy Waters moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Crazy Arms — Jerry Lee Lewis moderate 140 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Heartache Tonight — Eagles moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100).

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Angels of the Silences — Counting Crows moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken — Camera Obscura safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 23/100, down from 50. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Cornerstone — Arctic Monkeys safe 128 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 20/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Pictures of Me — Elliott Smith safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 24/100, versus the original's 50. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let Her Go by Mac DeMarco
Let Her Go — Mac DeMarco safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 19/100, down from 50. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let My Baby Stay by Mac DeMarco
Let My Baby Stay — Mac DeMarco safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Treat Her Better by Mac DeMarco
Treat Her Better — Mac DeMarco safe 115 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 19/100.

Mas Que Nada by Jorge Ben
Mas Que Nada — Jorge Ben safe 100 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 35/100, versus the original's 50.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Kissing the Lipless” by The Shins?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Massive” by Drake, “Happy Idiot” by TV on the Radio, “Freddie's Dead” by Curtis Mayfield — 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 “Kissing the Lipless” but calmer?

“Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken” by Camera Obscura, “It's Too Late” by Carole King, “Cornerstone” by Arctic Monkeys keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Kissing the Lipless”?

It measures 50/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild 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

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 62% of songs, calmer than the other 38%. Its intensity reading of 50/100 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 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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 6/10, 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

Intensity50
Dynamics56
Tempo50
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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