![\"Justin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Justin-Bieber-Renell-Medrano-2025-press-billboard-1548.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBillboard sizes up the 23 new songs on Bieber’s semi-surprise sequel set. <\/p>\n
\t9\/5\/2025\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tJustin Bieber<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRenell Medrano<\/p>\n
\n\tSwag, swag, swag\u2026 on II. The suddenly very prolific pop superstar Justin Bieber<\/a> announced over social media on Thursday (Sept. 4) that midnight would bring with it the surprise sequel to his equally unexpected Swag album from July. Midnight came and went without the suddenly highly anticipated release, but just around 3:30 a.m. ET, the set appeared on YouTube, trickling to other DSPs shortly after. Swag II was now officially with us. <\/p>\n \n\tThe 23-track set follows in the organic-sounding, warm-feeling alt-R&B mode of the first Swag, with many of the same sonic architects (Dijon, Carter Lang, Mk.gee), and even a couple overlapping feature guests in Lil B and Eddie Benjamin. New to the Swag is Afrobeats star Tems, British singer-songwriter Bakar and \u201900s Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris. But no skits this time \u2014 Druski makes nary an appearance across the set, although \u201cI\u2019m not the one\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s not clocking to you\u201d references are both made in the album\u2019s lyrics. And the blockbuster sequel closes with the longest Bieber album cut to date: \u201cStory of God,\u201d a nearly eight-minute spoken-word retelling of the Adam and Eve story, with Justin narrating as Adam. <\/p>\n \n\tUltimately, the set will unquestionably be worth the wait for Beliebers, who now have a whopping 44 tracks\u2019 worth of Swag to keep them cuddly in the cold-weather months that lie ahead. And with Bieber\u2019s sneaky productivity of late, who knows if there might even be a third Swagstallment still waiting in the wings. Until then, though, here\u2019s our early ranking of the 23 tracks new to Swag II.<\/p>\n \t\u201cNeed It\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI could put you on the map,\u201d Bieber promises \u2014\u00a0the kind of offer made by a man who really does need it bad, as he admits on the chorus. Horny Bieber is (almost) always welcome, but unless you\u2019re really a fiend for cinnamon sugar, both the lyrics and production are a little lacking in the specifics that really make such a song sing.<\/p>\n \t\u201cI Think You\u2019re Special\u201d (feat. Tems)<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLove is over everything\/ This is what I believe.\u201d Justin has been pretty consistent on this front, particularly lately, but if you want more evidence to this effect, take \u201cI Think You\u2019re Special\u201d \u2014 not the most melodically or lyrically dazzling song on Swag II, but one that feels significant as a personal statement of some sort for the Bieb. <\/p>\n \t\u201cStory of God\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBieber gets lost in the Garden of Eden, retelling the foundational Bible story in spoken-word from a first-person perspective over glowing synths and yearning backing vocals. It feels too personal and deeply felt to rank last on a list like this \u2014 and is undoubtedly worth at least one full listen \u2014 but your replay mileage certainly may vary on this one over the course of nearly eight minutes.<\/p>\n \t\u201cDotted Line\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe most interlude-y track on Swag II, purposefully lo-fi (though with crystal-clear backing vocals) as Bieber sings about walking a thousand miles to get to you (take that Proclaimers!), with the only percussion being the slapped body of acoustic guitar. Very pretty, though it hardly feels essential, particularly nearly 20 tracks into the sequel set. <\/p>\n \t\u201cAll the Way\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBieber plays his own backing group on \u201cAll the Way,\u201d echoing all his lyrics in a separate channel (\u201cI can feel your eyes taking over me\u201d (\u201cTakin\u2019 over me!\u201c)) as he offers to take his love the distance. The multi-vocal tracking is by far the most interesting thing about the song, but it does make you wonder if some kind of \u201cHey Ya!\u201d type music video treatment is in his future. <\/p>\n \t\u201cOpen Up Your Heart\u201d (feat. Eddie Benjamin)<\/p>\n \n\tWith power ballad synths and drums that wouldn\u2019t feel out of place on The Weeknd\u2019s After Hours, piano that verges on Bruce Hornsby-esque and a guest vocal from Eddie Benjamin, \u201cOpen Up Your Heart\u201d should probably feel like the climax to Swag II. And maybe it would with a slightly stronger chorus sentiment than \u201cOpen up your heart\/ Tell me what you\u2019re really feeling.\u201d Or maybe it would if Bieber had actually gotten Bruce Hornsby on the track. <\/p>\n \t\u201cPoppin My Shit\u201d (feat. Hurricane Chris)<\/p>\n \n\tHurricane Chris on a Justin Bieber album?! Sure, why not \u2014 there\u2019s not a ton else to the song, but Shreveport, Louisana\u2019s finest sounds pretty good over the album\u2019s trappiest production yet, and he closes it with a co-sign that would undoubtedly make 10-year-old Bieb\u2019s heart squeal with glee: \u201cGot some friends and they all love Justin Bieber.\u201d <\/p>\n \t\u201cWitchya\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn my head, it shoulda been easy\/ How come it ain\u2019t easy to let it go?\u201d Slow, swiveling drums and tender guitar give extra weight to Bieber\u2019s late-night-feeling queries on \u201cWitchya.\u201d The song lacks the knockout chorus to really tie it all together, but his multi-tracked vocals interplaying with one another in the outro makes it a captivating listen until the end. <\/p>\n \t\u201cBetter Man\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA love song laced with falsetto and built around sweet lyrics like \u201cIf I know one thing that\u2019s true\/ You know exactly what to do and it\u2019s amazing\u201d \u2014 not spectacular, but effective. And another Spider-Man reference, because apparently that\u2019s the thing<\/a> for Canadian pop stars going R&B in 2025. <\/p>\n \t\u201cI Do\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI Do\u201d trades the organic-sounding drums of the set\u2019s first few tracks for skittering machine hits, paired with surprisingly Cocteau Twins-like synth atmospherics and bluesy guitar figures seemingly played from another room. Bieb proclaims on the chorus, \u201cI mean it when I say that I do\u2026 You\u2019ll always be the one that I choose\u201d \u2014\u00a0a potential wedding first-dance song, if you and your spouse are really into 4AD.<\/p>\n \t\u201cDon\u2019t Wanna\u201d (feat. Bakar)<\/p>\n \n\tRiding the kind of bass-led rhythm that Quincy Jones might\u2019ve engineered for peak MJ \u2014\u00a0but kept spare, without all the horns and extra layers that Q would\u2019ve traditionally piled on \u2014 \u201cDon\u2019t Wanna\u201d is still a mean-enough groove that Bieb calls in reinforcements to help corral it in the form of British singer-songwriter Bakar. It\u2019s a good match of voices and vibes, though you can\u2019t help feeling there\u2019s another level of release waiting for the song that it never quite gets to. <\/p>\n \t\u201cLyin’\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s clear at this point that Bieber and his alt-R&B dream team can crank out winners like this by the dozens at this point: sentimental, comforting, gently upbeat love songs built around simple sentiments like \u201cI wasn\u2019t lying when I said that I loved you\/ And I don\u2019t like it when I feel so far from you.\u201d It might be a little hard to keep this one discrete from the other half-dozen similar gems on Swag I, but it\u2019ll always feel damn good when it\u2019s on. <\/p>\n \t\u201cOh Man\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tYou might expect something boisterous from that title, but the gentle piano twinkles that open \u201cOh Man\u201d make it clear the titular exclamation is gonna be more awestruck than lusty. That part of the chorus ends up being a bit underwhelming, but the tick-tocking beat is one of the album\u2019s most alluring, and the verses are also some of Bieb\u2019s strongest (\u201cWhen the telephone rings, I just feel the slightest sting\/ Let it ring, let it ring, let me catch my\u2026.\u201d)<\/p>\n \t\u201cSafe Space\u201d (feat. Lil B)<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019ll be your safe space\/ Want to take the pain away,\u201d Bieber promises over a cocoon of synths, sounding like he might actually be able to live up to his promises. Lil B, still around from Swag I, helps count down the song to lift off, as it does what other songs on the sequel album tease doing but never quite deliver on \u2014 it rockets into the club stratosphere \u2014 and it\u2019s extremely cathartic, though a little unclear why this intimate song was the best choice for such a treatment.<\/p>\n \t\u201cEye Candy\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOoh the first one\u2019s free, the second\u2019ll cost you\u201d is a fantastic way to start off a love-as-drug (or love-as-sugary-confection) song \u2014\u00a0and the popping shuffle of \u201cEye Candy\u201d keeps winning from there, with clever chorus lyrics like \u201cYou taste so sweet\/ When you\u2019re looking at me.\u201d No more \u201cspread your wings and open up\u201d lyrics after this one though, please, Justin. <\/p>\n \t\u201cBad Honey\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe skipping groove starts out like Bonnie Raitt\u2019s \u201cNick of Time,\u201d but turns even funkier, as Bieber feels the canned heat in his heels over twisting guitars and off-kilter synths: \u201cI might just go give you my loving\/ I might just give you a piece of my mind.\u201d This one will absolutely kill live if Bieber ever takes his Swag show on the road. <\/p>\n \t\u201cEverything Hallelujah\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLet\u2019s take a walk hallelujah\/ Sun is out hallelujah\/ I\u2019m kissin\u2019 you hallelujah\/ Dream of you hallelujah.\u201d So yes, it\u2019s a pretty literal lyrical reflection of the \u201cEverything Hallelujah\u201d title \u2014 which could easily feel like an eye-roll, but actually feels quite heartfelt and powerful from Bieber over gently picked acoustic and angelic synths, without ever feeling the least bit schlocky. The gospel Justin Bieber album feels like a safe bet in the next decade. <\/p>\n \t\u201cPetting Zoo\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPerhaps the most Journals-like track on Swag II, \u201cPetting Zoo\u201d sees Bieber enjoy further adventures in vocal layering over some desolate-sounding guitar. It\u2019s an effective sound for a song about being in an argument you don\u2019t much want to be in, and Bieber sells it with little moments like him slurring his defense about being drunk, or transforming his verse lyric from \u201cI don\u2019t wanna fight\u201d to \u201cI guess we\u2019re fighting.\u201d He\u2019s more mature about it than he was 12 years ago, anyway. <\/p>\n \t\u201cWhen It\u2019s Over\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMaybe the heaviest falsetto we\u2019ve ever heard throughout a song from Bieber \u2014 rendering him almost unrecognizable \u2014\u00a0\u201cWhen It\u2019s Over\u201d ends up being one of the album\u2019s most striking cuts, making you feel his vocals in a totally new and unexpectedly moving way. Bieb really may have to start kicking up a percentage to How to Dress Well<\/a> if there\u2019s ever gonna be a Swag III, though. <\/p>\n \t\u201cMoving Fast\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe guitar riffs seem to get more and more distant as Swag II goes, and by the time of \u201cMoving Fast,\u201d it basically sounds like it\u2019s stuck in the 1930s \u2014\u00a0perhaps somewhat ironic for its title. It\u2019s a bit of a misdirect, though, as the song soon builds with a bass burble and a synth sigh, Bieber repeating \u201cI roll the windows down and I\u2019m slowing down for you\u201d \u2014 and all of a sudden a pulsing-then-skittering beat crawls out from underneath the groove. It never quite explodes as it threatens to, but watching the light travel up the fuse is still transfixing. <\/p>\n \t\u201cSpeed Demon\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOver an old-school boom-bap beat and warm guitar chops, Bieber sing-raps his way through references to \u201cheat checking these chickens\u201d and (again!) his now increasingly-played \u201cIs it clocking to you?\u201d meme. It works because he\u2019s so firmly in lockstep with the groove, which evokes summery early-\u201990s nostalgia in the absolute best way.<\/p>\n \t\u201cMother in You\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBieber\u2019s ode to his son Jack is the first acoustic-based song on the set, with gorgeously stereo-separated guitars mic\u2019d so that you can hear every little scrape across the strings. The song is similarly piercing in its lyrical detail: \u201cI remember the moment at 2:00 in the morning I saw the reflection in you\/ And you looked right through me, like you really knew me\/ So much of her in you.\u201d A little sappy but damn if it doesn\u2019t hit. <\/p>\n \t\u201cLove Song\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA tough title to make a distinctive pop song out of, but the production of \u201cLove Song\u201d shimmers from the opening rustic, rumbling piano, which combines with some uncharacteristically hard-hitting drum songs for one of the punchiest sonic beds Bieber has worked with in this era. And he really earns it with the chorus: \u201cI wanna write you a love song\/ I wanna write you a good one you can\u2019t stop singing to me.\u201d This one just might do the trick. <\/p>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>.
\n\tSign Up<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. \/\/ This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Billboard sizes up the 23 new songs on Bieber’s semi-surprise sequel set. 9\/5\/2025 Justin Bieber Renell Medrano Swag,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134,9607,85726],"class_list":{"0":"post-121708","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-genre-pop","13":"tag-tracks-ranked"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}