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10 songs that feel like Up the Wolves

Matched to Up the Wolves by The Mountain Goats 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
Up the Wolves
The Mountain Goats
moderate 49/100 intensity 125 BPM
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Give Out — Sharon Van Etten moderate 120 BPM

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

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You Are a Tourist — Death Cab for Cutie moderate 118 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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Bowl of Oranges — Bright Eyes moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same hopeful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) — Arcade Fire moderate 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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crawling in my skin — Soccer Mommy moderate 120 BPM

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

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Hairpin Turns — The National moderate 92 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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I Don't Wanna Fight — Tina Turner moderate 108 BPM

Keeps the same hopeful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 94% alike.

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A Better Tomorrow — Wu-Tang Clan moderate 90 BPM

Measures 92% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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One Day — Björk moderate 95 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same hopeful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100).

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Cloudbusting — Kate Bush moderate 102 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Up the Wolves is more than you want right now.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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The White Lady Loves You More — Elliott Smith safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge.

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Alameda — Elliott Smith safe 110 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 24/100.

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Color in Your Cheeks — The Mountain Goats safe 125 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 28/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cubs in Five by The Mountain Goats
Cubs in Five — The Mountain Goats safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 15/100, down from 49.

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Ode to Joy — Wilco safe 95 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 24/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Jump by Madonna
Jump — Madonna safe 125 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 45/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Up the Wolves” by The Mountain Goats?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Give Out” by Sharon Van Etten, “You Are a Tourist” by Death Cab for Cutie, “Bowl of Oranges” by Bright Eyes — 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 “Up the Wolves” but calmer?

“The Times They Are a-Changin'” by Bob Dylan, “The White Lady Loves You More” by Elliott Smith, “Alameda” by Elliott Smith keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Up the Wolves”?

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.

2005 in context

The 363 songs we’ve measured from 2005 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. 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 load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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