On Swag II, Bieber Sounds Free and Sometimes Lost

What happens when artists get to create their albums on their own terms, at their own pace, in this day and age? Ask Justin Bieber, and he'll slap his latest two albums down in front of you, both titled with maximum chest-puffing irony: Swag and Swag II. Dropped just three months apart, they have far less to do with reclaiming a sound than reclaiming a state of mind.

At 31, Bieber is making music on his own terms — softer, slower, and maybe even stranger. Swag II, the second surprise drop in his self-styled Swag era, is more of a murmur. Not because once a chart topping artist is necessarily putting music out trying to be the song of the summer. It’s trying to be something you hum under your breath in October, while staring out a window.

The album is indulgent, for sure with 23 tracks that sway between lo-fi late-night confessions and plush R&B throwbacks. It’s the kind of album that doesn’t care if you hit skip. Bieber knows the real ones will sit with it, maybe even fall asleep to it, headphones still in. Highlights like “Love Song” and “Petting Zoo” are sweet without being saccharine, while “Story of God” leans all the way into spiritual melodrama ( Imagine Genesis retold through a vintage synth pad.)

For many the lo-fi may be surprising given the endless whirlpool of drama surrounding Bieber's personal life- a concoction created by fans and "haters" doesn't seem to leave the spotlight. Swag II follows-up the proclamations, promises and mood expressed in the album dropped merely three months before. It is a prolonged mood that indulges you in low-key, lovestruck, occasionally spiritual, and often introspective lyrics.

Love Song is genuinely sweet and memorable, and Petting Zoo is a nice throwback to the Journals era. But too often, the songs blur together, with production so stripped-down that it feels unfinished. Dotted Line, in particular, sounds more like a demo than a final cut, and not in a charming way.

There are moments that suggest ambition. The nearly 8-minute, for instance, Story of God is one of them. A retelling of Adam and Eve and plenty of religious ruminations sprinkled across the tracks. Of course, there are songs dedicated to his wife including the song Mother In You giving sneak-peek into their relationship as parents and his view of Hailey as a mum.

What all these are obvious glimpses into the stability in Bieber's life off stage, the album lacks real dynamic range as without much variation in tempo or tone are concerned. The 23 tracks can feel like a long, meandering listen, especially without the sharper self-awareness or tighter song writing of his earlier work.

To Bieber’s credit, he’s doing what he wants. That’s admirable. But Swag II often feels like a private project that has a lot to do with love and lovingly accidentally made public. Moreover, the collection of songs that might mean a lot to him, may not mean much to most listeners outside his core fanbase. Perhaps, that's enough for the Canadian singer and father of one.