Recommended tracks: “LOVE SONG,” “WITCHYA,” “NEED IT”
Artists you may like: The Kid LAROI, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande
After shocking the world with his album Swag with no warning or rollout earlier this summer, it seems like Justin Bieber is making this a habit. On September 5th, he dropped the bonus album Swag II, adding an additional 23 tracks to the already 21-track album, making this Justin’s longest album yet. Both of these projects came with little to no warning or singles, and he announced the bonus album only the day before it dropped. This was especially shocking as Swag marked his comeback and with Swag II coming not far behind, it seems like Justin might have a couple more things up his sleeve.
The initial album Swag had more than half of its tracks on the Billboard Hot 100, with the biggest single “Daisies” peaking at #2, and arguably the second-biggest song on the album “Yukon” peaking at #17. What caught people’s attention, though, aside from the shock of the album drop, was how different the sound was to his most recent previous projects. Some songs sounded like you were listing to a teenage Bieber, having fans go crazy and igniting everyone’s Bieber fever once again. Swag also included skits featuring Druski from the podcast interview he had done. The album apart from the skit had actual features from Sexxy Red, Lil B, Dijon, Cash Cobain, and Eddie Benjamin, which were quite unexpected collaborations.
There was also an almost unserious tone to the initial album, but in the best way possible. It was like he had chosen to drop music he thought was fun and that he personally enjoyed. While there was a lack of cohesiveness to the project’s sound overall, it somehow still worked. And that’s what I believe Swag II didn’t deliver on. The bonus album pulled together a more cohesive sound than the initial album, but it lacks all the personality of Swag.
Out of the 23 bonus tracks, a lot of the first half sounds exactly the same. There’s a serious lack of division in the first half of the project, which makes the second half, which sounds very different overall, a bit confusing. The initial takeaway from the sound and the tone of the album is that it’s heavily devoted to his faith and religious journey, with the occasional oddball in there. Some of the songs that have very similar melodies and musical soundscapes almost sound like something you’d hear at a church youth group. I believe this might have been the sound he was going for with a majority of the tracks.
Songs like “SPEED DEMON” have a smooth, commercial pop melody with catchy yet somewhat repetitive lyrics. This being the opening song leaves you expecting a bit more, but it sets up the second track “BETTER MAN” to stand out more than it would have. “BETTER MAN” is immediately a slower, more 90s pop melody than the commercial pop of the opening track.
The third track, “LOVE SONG,” redeems what the first two tracks might have lacked. It’s what fans love from Justin: his typical pop love ballads. It’s in familiar territory for him. I’d even go as far as to call it “One Less Lonely Girl”’s matured sibling. Some of the more vocal-forward moments truly sound like a young Bieber, right down to the love-stricken lyrics: “I wanna write you a love song / I wanna write a good one you can’t stop singing to me.”
The fifth track, “I THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL,” is the first track with a feature: Tems. While it’s very polished, it has a similar musical melody to the previous tracks. While heartwarming and gentle in nature, it borders on being corny in its lyrics. This is in contrast to the previous pop love ballad, which is sentimental and cute, conveying the level of admiration he has for his partner without feeling generic.
“EYE CANDY” is another song that in the first 10 seconds I would’ve called the “YUKON” of Swag II, but again he seemed to have played the musical and lyrical composition safe, keeping it in familiar territory with the previous tracks. “DON’T WANNA” and “BAD HONEY” also land where “EYE CANDY” lands, being receptive with no real musical climax. The melodies have the catchy drums and synth embedded in them, but they come off like generic pop songs, not standing out within the first half of this project.
However, “WITCHYA” has slower, more R&B feel that immediately jumps out after the other tracks. The gentle, acoustic feel paired with Justin’s softer runs and raw vocals makes it one of the most dynamic tracks on the album. This track specifically is one that really highlights his true vocal talent, which stands out among the more pop-leaning vocal melodies.
“NEED IT” is another standout. The first couple seconds lure you into thinking he might have been going country; the opening lyrics have a bit of a country twang to them. As soon as you get used to that melody, though, a more textured sound comes in, bringing in that hip-hop feel that the album, up to this point, has lacked. Bieber is known for being dynamic within genres, so I’m glad he paid homage to that part of his discography on this track.
“POPPIN MY S***”, however, is the true hip-hop track of the album. It features Hurricane Chris and he complements the overall sound of the song. Justin’s cadence and delivery of the lyrics is something we haven’t heard in previous projects. He’s stepping into a role of almost rapping on top of having the hip-hop feature. It’s an interesting moment that showcases an experimental tone, after so many of the other tracks seem too familiar and in safe territory for him.
“DOTTED LINE” has to be the track that feels the most authentic to the pop star, all while stripping away the polished production. The raw acoustic vocals are only accompanied by layered harmonies and an acoustic guitar. The way the song was produced seems purposefully rough, making it sound like Justin’s literally in the room singing to you. It feels homey and vulnerable, like it’s just Justin and his guitar baring himself to the world. This track stands out because of how different is sounds next to the overly produced pop tracks scattered throughout the project.
He wraps us up with “STORY OF GOD,” which is basically a sermon, taking it back to how this project feels heavily like a reflection of Bieber’s religious journey. Overall, it’s an interesting choice to wrap the album with this specifically because it leaves the listeners wondering what they’re meant to take away. The album is full of love songs and pop melodies that somehow also felt like church nymphs, with the occasional oddball thrown in there.
The tone of this album overall seems more serious than the previous one, but you’re left wondering why he chose this direction for the bonus of such a fun and authentic yet incohesive album.
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