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10 songs that feel like Little Black Submarines

Matched to Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Little Black Submarines
The song you love
Little Black Submarines
The Black Keys
intense 89/100 intensity 80 BPM
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Today — The Smashing Pumpkins intense 92 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100).

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Posing for Cars — Japanese Breakfast intense 70 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Same layered texture.

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Let It Die — Foo Fighters intense 95 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100). Measured 93% alike.

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Break It Up — Patti Smith intense 85 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Same layered texture.

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Come Together — Spiritualized intense 90 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (86/100).

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Mother I Sober — Kendrick Lamar intense 60 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 83/100. Same layered texture.

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I Am the Resurrection — The Stone Roses intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (88/100). Measured 90% alike.

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Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" — Gustav Mahler intense 80 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It runs a little hotter at 95/100.

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A&W — Lana Del Rey intense 75 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same intense pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (75 BPM).

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The Wolves (Act I and II) — Bon Iver intense 85 BPM

86% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (85/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Little Black Submarines is more than you want right now.

Long Time Gone by Crosby, Stills & Nash
Long Time Gone — Crosby, Stills & Nash moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 10. Intensity 50/100, down from 89.

I Need a Doctor by Dr. Dre
I Need a Doctor — Dr. Dre moderate 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 10, so it lands at 56/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Pagan Poetry by Björk
Pagan Poetry — Björk moderate 92 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 10. Reads 30/100.

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Love Me — The Pretty Reckless moderate 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 10. 46/100, versus the original's 89. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Tunic (Song For Karen) — Sonic Youth moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 8 where the original climbs to 10. Intensity 65/100, down from 89.

Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 3 No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 3 No. 2 — Sergei Rachmaninoff moderate 66 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 10, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge.

Die schöne Müllerin by Franz Schubert
Die schöne Müllerin — Franz Schubert moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 10. Reads 57/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Soundtrack 2 My Life — Kid Cudi moderate 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 10. 50/100, versus the original's 89.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Little Black Submarines” by The Black Keys?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Posing for Cars” by Japanese Breakfast, “Let It Die” by Foo Fighters — the top match scores 94% 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 “Little Black Submarines” but calmer?

“Long Time Gone” by Crosby, Stills & Nash, “I Need a Doctor” by Dr. Dre, “Pagan Poetry” by Björk keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Little Black Submarines”?

It measures 89/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 10/10, layered texture, extreme sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 80 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 98% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 89/100 comes from a dynamic range of 10/10, layered texture, extreme 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 huge quiet-to-loud swing: more extreme on that axis than 100% 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.

Dial the feeling up or down

Same feeling, calmer: Norma — Maria Callas

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus0/10
Workout6/10
Dinner3/10
Party / hype7/10

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

2011 in context

The 372 songs we’ve measured from 2011 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 10/10, 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

Intensity89
Dynamics100
Tempo22
Surprise100
Density33
Predictability100
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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