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10 songs that feel like Simulation Swarm

Matched to Simulation Swarm 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.

Simulation Swarm
The song you love
Simulation Swarm
Big Thief
moderate 49/100 intensity 120 BPM
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Killing Floor — Howlin' Wolf moderate 120 BPM

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

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Cruel World — Holly Humberstone moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Porno — Arcade Fire moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Brainy — The National moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Bloodstream — Ed Sheeran moderate 120 BPM

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

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Metal Firecracker — Lucinda Williams moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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SOS — SZA moderate 118 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

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I Can Change — LCD Soundsystem moderate 118 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Trip Through Your Wires — U2 moderate 123 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (123 BPM).

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Touch It — Ariana Grande moderate 116 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 Simulation Swarm is more than you want right now.

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Oblivions — The National safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 22/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande
eternal sunshine — Ariana Grande safe 120 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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.

The Prophecy by Taylor Swift
The Prophecy — Taylor Swift safe 96 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 17/100, versus the original's 49.

From the Dining Table by Harry Styles
From the Dining Table — Harry Styles safe 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 13/100, down from 49.

Homesick by Dua Lipa
Homesick — Dua Lipa safe 98 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge.

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When All Is Said and Done — ABBA safe 102 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 39/100.

I Wish I Hated You by Ariana Grande
I Wish I Hated You — Ariana Grande safe 136 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 21/100, versus the original's 49.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Simulation Swarm” by Big Thief?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Killing Floor” by Howlin' Wolf, “Cruel World” by Holly Humberstone, “Porno” by Arcade Fire — 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 “Simulation Swarm” but calmer?

“Oblivions” by The National, “eternal sunshine” by Ariana Grande, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Simulation Swarm”?

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 120 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

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

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

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo44
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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