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10 songs that feel like Ocean Breathes Salty

Matched to Ocean Breathes Salty 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
Ocean Breathes Salty
Modest Mouse
moderate 56/100 intensity 152 BPM
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Levon — Elton John moderate 146 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (146 BPM).

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Harborcoat — R.E.M. moderate 156 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Same layered texture.

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Future Love — Ride moderate 148 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (148 BPM).

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I Get Around — The Beach Boys moderate 157 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Same layered texture.

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No Mistakes — Kanye West moderate 148 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same reflective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (148 BPM).

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Hard to Explain — The Strokes moderate 158 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Same layered texture.

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12:51 — The Strokes moderate 146 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (146 BPM).

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Fireworks — Siouxsie and the Banshees moderate 145 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Same layered texture.

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Do It Clean — Echo & the Bunnymen moderate 145 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (145 BPM).

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No Future — Blink-182 moderate 160 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Ocean Breathes Salty is more than you want right now.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 56.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge.

Peter by Taylor Swift
Peter — Taylor Swift safe 180 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 7. Reads 25/100.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 56.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 20/100, down from 56.

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 7, 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.

Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves
Merry Go 'Round — Kacey Musgraves safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 56.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Ocean Breathes Salty” by Modest Mouse?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Levon” by Elton John, “Harborcoat” by R.E.M., “Future Love” by Ride — 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 “Ocean Breathes Salty” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths, “Peter” by Taylor Swift keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Ocean Breathes Salty”?

It measures 56/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 152 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 76% of songs, calmer than the other 24%. Its intensity reading of 56/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2004 in context

The 334 songs we’ve measured from 2004 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity56
Dynamics67
Tempo62
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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