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10 songs that feel like Shark Smile

Matched to Shark Smile by Big Thief on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Shark Smile
The song you love
Shark Smile
Big Thief
moderate 49/100 intensity 125 BPM
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Kimberly — Patti Smith moderate 126 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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Solo — Frank Ocean moderate 134 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Jackie's Strength — Tori Amos moderate 112 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 97% alike.

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I Want You — Bob Dylan moderate 126 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Step — Vampire Weekend moderate 126 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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Lily (My One and Only) — The Smashing Pumpkins moderate 127 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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I Promise — Radiohead moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Asking Me Lies — The Replacements moderate 128 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Cruel World — Holly Humberstone moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Stormy Weather — Pixies moderate 120 BPM

99% 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 Shark Smile is more than you want right now.

White Ferrari by Frank Ocean
White Ferrari — Frank Ocean 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 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Halloween — Phoebe Bridgers 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 6. Reads 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

10:15 Saturday Night by The Cure
10:15 Saturday Night — The Cure safe 128 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 20/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Man on the Moon by R.E.M.
Man on the Moon — R.E.M. safe 115 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 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Green Gloves by The National
Green Gloves — The National safe 120 BPM

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

Lived in Bars by Cat Power
Lived in Bars — Cat Power safe 116 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. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Mellow My Mind — Neil Young safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 16/100, versus the original's 49.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Shark Smile” by Big Thief?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Kimberly” by Patti Smith, “Solo” by Frank Ocean, “Jackie's Strength” by Tori Amos — 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 “Shark Smile” but calmer?

“White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us” by Sufjan Stevens, “Halloween” by Phoebe Bridgers keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Shark Smile”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 55% of songs, calmer than the other 45%. Its intensity reading of 49/100 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 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

Sleep4/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2017 in context

The 461 songs we’ve measured from 2017 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. 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

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo47
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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