Guide · picking music
Cozy vs scary: how to pick Halloween music
Everything on this site is instrumental lofi from three albums, so “scary” means something more like “shadowy”. Here is a scale to help you pick, based on measurements rather than adjectives.
The scale
For every track we measured the brightness of the sound (the spectral centroid, in hertz: lower is darker) and the biggest sudden change in loudness. This table averages those per playlist, from brightest and coziest at the top to darkest at the bottom.
| Playlist | Tone (Hz) | Biggest jump (dB) |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Bowl (Trick-or-Treat Playlist) | 1009 | 12 |
| Haunted Walkthrough (Haunted House Playlist) | 974 | 9 |
| Witching Hour (Witching Hour Playlist) | 949 | 15 |
| Afterglow (Halloween Wind-Down Playlist) | 872 | 10 |
| Costume Party (Halloween Party Playlist) | 819 | 12 |
Read it loosely. Brightness is one measure of mood, not the whole thing. It is a guide for choosing, and your ears decide.
How to pick
- Mixed ages in the room: choose from the top of the table, or the Kid-Friendly Halloween Playlist.
- A party: the middle: groovy and a little dark, without taking over the conversation.
- A haunted house or a story night: the bottom, or Spooky Playlist.
- A late night alone: Spooky Lofi for the slow, eerie side.
A note on “jump scares”
None of the music has screams, growls or spoken samples. The “biggest jump” column is the largest sudden change in loudness within any track in that playlist. A low number means no sudden loud surprises.
Questions
Is any of this music actually scary?
It is atmospheric rather than frightening. There are no screams or jump scares, and everything is instrumental.
Which playlist is the darkest?
By measured tone, Halloween Party Playlist is the darkest of the five situation playlists.
Which is the coziest?
By the same measure, Trick-or-Treat Playlist is the brightest and coziest.
