16 artists like The War on Drugs
Matched on how their catalogues actually move — measured intensity, dynamic range, texture and shared mood across 1 The War on Drugs songs (averaging 43/100 intensity). Each one comes with the single song to start with.
Shares the same spacious register and runs hotter overall (64/100). 107 of their songs measured.
Averages almost the same intensity (48/100), with the same contemplative register running through 89 measured songs.
84 measured songs that keep the same contemplative register — runs hotter overall (56/100).
Shares the same spacious register and runs hotter overall (59/100). 82 of their songs measured.
Runs hotter overall (52/100), with the same contemplative register running through 82 measured songs.
78 measured songs that keep the same contemplative register — runs hotter overall (49/100).
Shares the same spacious register and runs hotter overall (49/100). 64 of their songs measured.
Runs hotter overall (52/100), with the same contemplative register running through 60 measured songs.
50 measured songs that keep the same contemplative register — runs hotter overall (54/100).
Shares the same spacious register and averages almost the same intensity (44/100). 49 of their songs measured.
Runs hotter overall (49/100), with the same contemplative register running through 48 measured songs.
47 measured songs that keep the same contemplative register — runs hotter overall (65/100).
Shares the same contemplative register and runs hotter overall (53/100). 43 of their songs measured.
Runs hotter overall (61/100), with the same contemplative register running through 42 measured songs.
42 measured songs that keep the same spacious register — runs hotter overall (50/100).
Frequently asked
What artists sound like The War on Drugs?
The closest matches we measure are Iron Maiden, Björk, Black Sabbath. Artists are matched by how their catalogs actually move — average intensity, dynamic range, texture and shared mood — across 1 measured The War on Drugs songs, not by genre label or chart adjacency.
Which song should I start with?
Iron Maiden: “When the Wild Wind Blows” (82% feel-match); Björk: “You've Been Flirting Again” (94% feel-match); Black Sabbath: “Breakout” (88% feel-match). Each is that artist's single closest track to the The War on Drugs centre of gravity, so it's the least jarring way in.
How intense is The War on Drugs overall?
Across 1 measured songs, The War on Drugs averages 43/100 on our intensity scale. Individual songs vary — see the full catalog breakdown on their artist page.
How do you decide two artists are similar?
Every song is measured on 8 dimensions (intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force, fine sound detail). We compare an artist's catalogue centre of gravity to every other artist's, then weight shared mood tags. Matches cross genre and era, because the measurements don't know what genre is.
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