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10 songs that feel like The Sad Skinhead

Matched to The Sad Skinhead by Faust on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The Sad Skinhead
The song you love
The Sad Skinhead
Faust
intense 66/100 intensity 140 BPM
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Mote — Sonic Youth intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Dead Finks Don't Talk — Brian Eno intense 135 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

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Starpower — Sonic Youth intense 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Frame by Frame — King Crimson intense 137 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Pulled Up — Talking Heads intense 120 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100).

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For Reverend Green — Animal Collective intense 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

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Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA — Devo intense 135 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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All the Rage Back Home — Interpol moderate 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Not That Funny — Fleetwood Mac intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Institutionalized — Kendrick Lamar intense 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when The Sad Skinhead is more than you want right now.

Peek-A-Boo! by Devo
Peek-A-Boo! — Devo moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 60/100, down from 66.

Working in the Coal Mine by Devo
Working in the Coal Mine — Devo moderate 120 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 60/100 — the pull without the edge.

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Relax — Frankie Goes to Hollywood moderate 130 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Reads 70/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

That's Pep! by Devo
That's Pep! — Devo moderate 142 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 51/100, versus the original's 66. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Theme from Doctor Detroit by DEVO
Theme from Doctor Detroit — DEVO moderate 132 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 54/100, down from 66. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Triumph of the Will by DEVO
Triumph of the Will — DEVO moderate 152 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 52/100 — the pull without the edge.

Snowball by Devo
Snowball — Devo moderate 152 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 52/100.

Girl U Want by Devo
Girl U Want — Devo moderate 152 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 52/100, versus the original's 66.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Sad Skinhead” by Faust?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Mote” by Sonic Youth, “Dead Finks Don't Talk” by Brian Eno, “Starpower” by Sonic Youth — the top match scores 96% 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 “The Sad Skinhead” but calmer?

“Peek-A-Boo!” by Devo, “Working in the Coal Mine” by Devo, “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Sad Skinhead”?

It measures 66/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 87% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 66/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 90% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1973 in context

The 297 songs we’ve measured from 1973 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity66
Dynamics67
Tempo56
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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