← Back to Music Is Math

10 songs that feel like Music Is Math

Matched to Music Is Math by Boards of Canada 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
Music Is Math
Boards of Canada
moderate 40/100 intensity 130 BPM
♪
Far Nearer — Jamie xx moderate 140 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100).

♪
Together in Electric Dreams — The Human League moderate 120 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

♪
For Love — Lush moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Measured 89% alike.

♪
L$D — A$AP Rocky moderate 130 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Wide Open — The Chemical Brothers moderate 120 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100).

♪
Reunion — M83 moderate 100 BPM

88% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Soft Shock — Yeah Yeah Yeahs moderate 115 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Measured 92% alike.

♪
What's in Your Head — Disclosure moderate 110 BPM

Measures 92% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Hidden Place — Björk moderate 95 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100).

♪
Wurlitzer Jukebox — Young Marble Giants moderate 120 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Music Is Math is more than you want right now.

♪
Sunshine Recorder — Boards of Canada safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 32/100, down from 40. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Stars of Track and Field by Belle and Sebastian
The Stars of Track and Field — Belle and Sebastian safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Over My Head by Fleetwood Mac
Over My Head — Fleetwood Mac safe 135 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 21/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
Gypsy — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 41/100, versus the original's 40. Nearly the same tempo, too.

White Ferrari by Frank Ocean
White Ferrari — Frank Ocean safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 19/100, down from 40. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey
Dark Paradise — Lana Del Rey safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Radio by Lana Del Rey
Radio — Lana Del Rey safe 116 BPM

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

♪
Pink Matter — Frank Ocean safe 64 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 15/100, versus the original's 40.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Music Is Math” by Boards of Canada?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Far Nearer” by Jamie xx, “Together in Electric Dreams” by The Human League, “For Love” by Lush — 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 “Music Is Math” but calmer?

“Sunshine Recorder” by Boards of Canada, “The Stars of Track and Field” by Belle and Sebastian, “Over My Head” by Fleetwood Mac keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Music Is Math”?

It measures 40/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and spoken word. 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 34% of songs, calmer than the other 66%. Its intensity reading of 40/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and spoken word. 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 88% 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

Sleep5/10
Focus8/10
Workout5/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2002 in context

The 332 songs we’ve measured from 2002 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 5/10, 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

Intensity40
Dynamics44
Tempo50
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force40
Trigger load38

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →