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10 songs that feel like Papua New Guinea

Matched to Papua New Guinea by Future Sound of London 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
Papua New Guinea
Future Sound of London
moderate 53/100 intensity 125 BPM
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And She Was — Talking Heads moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Hounds of Love — Kate Bush moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Utopia — Björk moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil — Jefferson Airplane moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Postures Leave Traces — 13th Floor Elevators moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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The Interpreter — 13th Floor Elevators moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Eight Miles High — The Byrds moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same dreamy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Yosemite — Travis Scott moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Whatcha Doing — Dua Lipa moderate 118 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same dreamy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

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Melt — Leftfield moderate 125 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Papua New Guinea is more than you want right now.

For How Long by Tycho
For How Long — Tycho safe 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 21/100, down from 53.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey
Dark Paradise — Lana Del Rey safe 120 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 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Calgary by Bon Iver
Calgary — Bon Iver safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Glimmer by Tame Impala
Glimmer — Tame Impala safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 25/100, down from 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Electron Blue by R.E.M.
Electron Blue — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

Horizon by Tycho
Horizon — Tycho safe 90 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 20/100.

Otomo by Bonobo
Otomo — Bonobo safe 110 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 38/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Papua New Guinea” by Future Sound of London?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “And She Was” by Talking Heads, “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush, “Utopia” by Björk — 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 “Papua New Guinea” but calmer?

“For How Long” by Tycho, “Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac, “Dark Paradise” by Lana Del Rey keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Papua New Guinea”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 125 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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 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 82% 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.

1994 in context

The 365 songs we’ve measured from 1994 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity53
Dynamics67
Tempo47
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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