"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens. Modest rise and fall. balanced composition. Mood: introspective, melancholy, nostalgic. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. 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."
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us
Sufjan Stevens
Illinois (2005)
AI-analyzed — check another song
Deep calm, gentler than 88% of our 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
125
BPM
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us by Sufjan Stevens is 125 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 63 BPM · Double-time 250 BPM · released 2005
Fan image for "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"
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Song DNA
Notes: Gentle acoustic folk with breathy flutes, soft synths, and hushed falsetto vocals create a dreamy, intimate atmosphere without harsh elements. Smooth orchestration builds gradually without abrupt shifts, ideal for sensitive listening.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening emotional release relaxation
A melancholic indie folk ballad reflecting on a transformative first queer love from summer camp, using a wasp metaphor for internalized fears and longing.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: introspective, melancholy, nostalgic
Traditions: indie folk
At a glance
"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens
125 BPM, dynamic range 4/10, smooth texture, soft vocals. Sits in the middle band — neither built for stillness nor pitched at workout intensity. Whether it works for a given moment depends more on mood and lyrical content than on the acoustic profile. The full sensory breakdown follows.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 4/10 is within the normal pop-mix band. There is variation between verse and chorus, but it's the kind of variation most listeners encounter routinely.
Sudden changes: none. Transitions are musically signaled — nothing will surprise you if you're only half-listening.
Texture: smooth.
Predictability is high — the song telegraphs what it will do next. A sensory-sensitive listener can usually guess where it's going without close attention.
Vocal style: soft vocals.
Where this sits in Sufjan Stevens's catalog
We have 44 songs from Sufjan Stevens in the library. Of those, 18 are rated Safe, 20 Moderate, and 6 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 4/10 sits below the artist average of 5.4, making it the #28 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Illinois
We have 10 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Casimir Pulaski Day — moderate DR 7
- Chicago — moderate DR 7
- John Wayne Gacy, Jr. — moderate DR 3
- Jacksonville — moderate DR 6
- The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders — moderate DR 7
- Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois — moderate DR 5
- Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! — safe DR 4
- For the Widows in Paradise — moderate DR 6
- Come On! Feel the Illinoise — moderate DR 7
2005 context
Released in 2005. We have 363 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.2/10. This track is quieter / less dynamic than the year average. Explore more from the 2000s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Traditions
indie folk · 245How fast is "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"?
125 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.
For workouts
Running, cycling, aerobic workouts, dance cardio.
For daily life
Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.
Browse more songs at 125 BPM.
When "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
~
Focus / studying
Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.
✓
Running / workout
Yes — 125 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
~
Sleep / winding down
Maybe — calm overall, but tempo is a bit high for deep sleep. Better for winding down than falling asleep.
✓
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
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
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Why this rating
We rate this song Safe because its dynamic range stays within our low-variance band, there are no unsignaled changes, and the texture and vocal style are both in the low-fatigue range. Our methodology uses an AND rule for Safe — a song has to clear every dimension to earn the rating.
This song in the Music Studio
20/100 intensity
See how “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-13. 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
This sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 88% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 20/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 97% 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
White Mustang — Lana Del Rey · 99%The Model — Kraftwerk · 99%Águas de Março — Tom Jobim · 99%Well... All Right — Buddy Holly · 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
Sleep9/10
Focus10/10
Workout4/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10
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 4/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity20
Dynamics33
Tempo47
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens?
"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens has a tempo of 125 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 63 BPM, and at double-time 250 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens?
"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" by Sufjan Stevens rates as Low-Intensity. Dynamic range 4/10, no sudden changes, smooth texture. Our Low-Intensity rating means no single dimension triggers the higher-intensity thresholds.
How loud is "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" — what is its dynamic range?
"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" has a dynamic range of 4/10. Within normal pop-mix variation. Movement between verse and chorus but nothing dramatic.
Does "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" have sudden or surprising changes?
No. "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" has no sudden unsignaled changes. Every transition is musically telegraphed.
What is "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" best for?
In our library "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" released?
"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" is from 2005, on the album "Illinois". It appears in our 2000s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"?
We tag "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" as introspective, melancholy, nostalgic. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"?
The vocal style is soft vocals.
Is "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" good for running?
Yes — at 125 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" good for studying?
Yes — low dynamic range (4/10) and no sudden changes means the song stays in the background without pulling focus.
Can I use "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Dynamic range is too high — quiet moments will be ambushed by louder ones.
Should I listen to "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us"?
If you want gentle, low-arousal music, "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us" is a solid pick — Low-Intensity across every sensory dimension.
Songs with the same DNA
smooth texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
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