Teddy Swims demonstrates incredible flow, range and emotionality in his music. In his latest album “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2),” he leaves listeners with a feeling of power and delivers deeply emotional lines in a way that you cannot help but groove to. The album is cohesive without feeling monochromatic since Swims delivers each unique song with the same passion. He plays with rock, R&B, indie and pop to deliver messages directly from his heart about the highs and lows of real relationships.
The album begins with a powerful song “Not Your Man” which uses a persistent beat to fire up the listener to fight for the justice of what a relationship should be. Then he flows into a few songs which, although slower, keep the same passion he always carries. “Bad Dreams” is especially tender, and in a soaring melody, he says he has “bad dreams where there’s no you and I.” Swims is a man who shows that it is masculine to show every emotion, and in “Northern Lights” he weeps for a lost love from years ago. To sing a line that says he’s “findin’ a love that shatters my world more than I deserve” in his song, “If You Ever Change Your Mind”, shows that Swims nurtures a delicate emotional intelligence that more people should be free to express.
In such a good album, there is bound to be at least one controversial song, and that is “She Got It” featuring Coco Jones & GloRilla. Depending on how this song is interpreted, it could either be objectifying a woman or showing body positivity towards a woman who is tall and/or strong, which is important in a culture that tries to shrink women.
Swims finishes the album with two songs that show two very different relationships. One is a back-and-forth where he wants to walk away but cannot stop chasing this person, saying he is “porcelain in your hands, bound to fall apart… caption it passion, and then capture me, trap me instead.” This one especially demonstrates his talent for using potent pauses, paces and punches in his lyrics to deliver lines that will get stuck in your head. His final song in the album, “She Loves the Rain,” ends on a soft, hopeful note, saying that if she can love the rain and the broken things, then maybe there is a chance that she can love him too.
On the outside, this album is a groovy collection of art celebrating emotions and relationships, which could be played as just background music, but under scrutinization, a different message appears. Swims is piecing together what love looks like in a way that will resonate with anyone in a close relationship. He is honest about the confusing and painful explosions that happen when two imperfect humans try to love each other, yet he is acutely aware of the joy and tenderness that is possible. He highlights how beautiful it is that love is freely given despite fights or mental health struggles.
In a way, it is possible to pick out pieces of the gospel in this album: Jesus knows that so much in this world does not make sense and it can be easy to be angry at him, and yet he loves the rain, the broken things, and us.
Swims’ new album is worth a listen whether you want something catchy to vibe to or something honest to heal with. Although a few of the songs are sad, the honesty and tenderness with which Swims describes relationships will empower listeners and leave them dancing.
