"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. dense layered composition, atmospheric complexity. Mood: joyful, transcendent. Visual style: early-1990s alternative aesthetic, weathered film grain. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Intergalactic
Beastie Boys
Hello Nasty (1998)
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
107
BPM
Intergalactic by Beastie Boys is 107 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 54 BPM · Double-time 214 BPM · released 1998
Fan image for "Intergalactic"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Notes: funky and futuristic
Recommended for: deep listening movement
Middle of the road on intensity, in the best way. This one has a big quiet-to-loud range with the occasional gentle turn — a complex track with strong, dynamic vocals driving it at a steady, walkable tempo. Mostly steady, it still leaves a little room to surprise. Against the 19,209 songs we’ve measured, it sits more energetic than 77% of songs, calmer than the rest.
Cultural Context
Significant in the late '90s for its innovative sound.
Listening Prompt
Get lost in the cosmic vibes.
What to Expect
Smooth transitions with a consistent groove.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: joyful, transcendent
Volume Warning
"Intergalactic" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. Beastie Boys built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
Texture: complex.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Beastie Boys's catalog
We have 19 songs from Beastie Boys in the library. Of those, 0 are rated Safe, 17 Moderate, and 2 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits at the artist average of 7.0, making it the #11 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Hello Nasty
We have 4 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- The Negotiation Limerick File — moderate DR 6
- Body Movin' — moderate DR 7
- Hello Nasty — moderate DR 7
1998 context
Released in 1998. We have 339 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.3/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1990s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
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A Change Is Gonna Come: Sam Cooke’s Anthem Born From Being Turned Away
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How fast is "Intergalactic"?
107 BPM — Medium (midtempo / pop ballad)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Cooking, casual listening, cleaning, dinner music.
Browse more songs at 107 BPM.
When "Intergalactic" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✗
Focus / studying
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
~
Running / workout
Maybe — at 107 BPM this is more warm-up or cool-down pace than peak-effort running.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
~
Emotional release / catharsis
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Teaching Music Listening to Kids Who Feel Music Strongly: A Gentle Approach
A gentle approach to introducing music to a child who feels it strongly — one who startles at sudden sound, or notices more than everyone el…
Best Headphones for Sensory Sensitivity: A Buyer's Guide
How to choose headphones for sensory-sensitive listening. Noise cancellation, clamping pressure, and comfort guidance for ears that notice e…
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
58/100 intensity
See how “Intergalactic” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-05. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
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 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 58/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, complex texture, mild 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 77% 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
Part-Time Lover — Stevie Wonder · 99%The Ballad of Mona Lisa — Panic! At The Disco · 99%Roll Away Your Stone — Mumford & Sons · 99%Who Are You — The Who · 99%
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
Sleep2/10
Focus6/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1998 in context
The 339 songs we’ve measured from 1998 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 7/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
The Ballad of Mona Lisa — Panic! At The DiscoRoll Away Your Stone — Mumford & SonsWho Are You — The Who
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity58
Dynamics67
Tempo37
Surprise25
Density60
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Intergalactic"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys?
"Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys has a tempo of 107 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 54 BPM, and at double-time 214 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys?
"Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, mild sudden changes, complex texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "Intergalactic" — what is its dynamic range?
"Intergalactic" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "Intergalactic" have sudden or surprising changes?
"Intergalactic" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "Intergalactic" best for?
In our library "Intergalactic" is recommended for: deep listening, movement. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Intergalactic" released?
"Intergalactic" is from 1998, on the album "Hello Nasty". It appears in our 1990s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Intergalactic"?
We tag "Intergalactic" as joyful, transcendent. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Intergalactic"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Intergalactic" good for running?
Not really — at 107 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Intergalactic" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Intergalactic" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Intergalactic"?
"Intergalactic" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
Songs with the same DNA
complex texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.