My first introduction to Teddy Swims was when he made a special appearance on the singing competition show, The Voice, back in late 2023/early 2024. I remember sitting on my couch, a glass of wine in my hand, and wondering... who is this guy? The rabbit hole I fell down soon after was bound to happen. Everything about Swims' stage presence, from his runs, to his sexy and powerful lyrics had me hooked in an instant. So needless to say, I was so excited for his debut album to release. And now here we are... one year later, and reviewing the second part to easily one of my favorite albums of 2024.
Tracklist
Not Your Man
Funeral
Your Kind of Crazy
Bad Dreams
Are You Even Real (feat. Givéon)
Black & White (feat. Muni Long)
Northern Lights
Guilty
It Ain't Easy
If You Ever Change Your Mind
She Got It (feat. Coco Jones & GloRilla)
Hammer to the Heart
She Loves the Rain
Teddy Swims is a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter who has been honing his craft for the past few years. Born Jaten Collin Dimsdale, his career kicked off in the early 2010s, when he joined a variety of alternative rock bands. In 2019, he opened for fellow artist, Tyler Carter, and started his journey on YouTube. There, he would post covers of songs by artists like Michael Jackson, Chris Stapleton, and even Shania Twain. His first major release was his single "Picky", which was released back in 2020. From then on, Swims would guest star as a musical guest on a variety of talk shows, and even released his first EP. Most recently, Swims achieved a major feat... a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
Not Your Man
First up on the list is "Not Your Man", a powerful piece about a relationship where both individuals have their own separate needs, and can't find a way to properly care for them. For example - and I'll use this in a platonic context - I once had this friend who only wanted my love and care to talk badly about others in our friend group. And I wanted her friendship to make me feel wanted. We both had needs that the other couldn't provide, and that's okay. But what Swims is trying to say, as you hear being repeated in the chorus, "This ain't how you trеat somebody you say you love / I gave you еverything, it still ain't enough / You don't have to say it, baby, I understand / That I'm not your man..." As far as a start to the album goes... this is a message I could immediately connect with.
Funeral
Coming up next is arguably one of my favorite songs on this album. Initially released as its own single, "Funeral" explores the complexities of a relationship that he's so deeply and emotionally invested in, that he struggles to think of the end of the relationship, and that it would lead to his funeral. It's a powerful journey of heartache, acceptance, and self-discovery, and was actually initially released as the first track on Bose x NME's C24 Mixtape!
Your Kind of Crazy
Next, we're heading into one of the R&B-styled tracks. I kid you not, when I first turned this song on, I grabbed my cat, and started to just dance around with him in the kitchen. It got my hips moving right away! "Your Kind of Crazy" is one of the songs that, I feel, allows listeners to truly embrace and melt to Swims' vocal talents. The song is full of runs that had my brain turning to mush in the best way possible. The song itself is a rollercoaster of emotions centered around a relationship that he may have conflicting feelings toward. I think the lyric that best demonstrates this is "The way your body talkin' to me, girl, I speak it fluent / Know what you gon' put me through, but still, I got to do it / Oh, I / There ain't no changin' my mind / I think I like / Your kind of crazy."
Bad Dreams
Next is another single off the album that goes into the themes and emotions one experiences at the end of a relationship. "Bad Dreams" is an emotional piece about regret and the desperate longing for closure. As Swims sings, he's essentially begging for the person in question to come back into his life... singing about how he doesn't know who he is or how to act without this person in his life. He also repeats the lyric "No sound when I cry," which I interpret as his struggles to reach anyone with a cry for help... and getting no response back. It's a song about isolation and desperation, and I was instantly hooked when the single first released.
Are You Even Real (feat. Givéon)
On the other hand, we have a song about an all-encompassing love where your partner is essentially perfection in your eyes. This is also the first collaboration song on the list, featuring fellow artist, Givéon! In "Are You Even Real", Swims sings as though he is in disbelief as to whether his partner truly is real... or if they are just someone he conjured up in his mind. I think Givéon's voice blends beautifully with Swims', and he sings "Is it all pretend, or somethin' I made real? I don't know what to think / And if it's all a dream, I don't wanna wake up", he's praying that this is real life... because if the relationship is all a life, he doesn't want it at all.
Black & White (feat. Muni Long)
"Black & White" is next on the list, and is another collaboration piece, this time featuring fellow artist Muni Long. I will say, the vibe of this song is much different from the rest of the album. It's much slower, and I'll be totally honest... when I first heard it, my mind immediately went to "Can I Have This Dance" from High School Musical 3. And that's not a bad thing! Not at all! It just wasn't what I was expecting. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it right away on my first listen-through. The song is about celebrating the differences one has with the person one loves, and how they don't let these differences change how they feel about each other. It's a song about embracing everything about your partner, and loving one another for who you are on the inside and out, and I think it's a message more people need to hear.
Northern Lights
"Northern Lights" was probably the first song on this album that brought genuine tears to my eyes. Like "Black & White", it's a slower piece that centers more on the emotions behind the lyrics. It centers around love and loss, and the longing you feel for a person when a relationship comes to an end. Swims seems to go through all of the stages of grief in this piece, whereas he goes from singing about wanting this person back into his life... to accepting that the relationship has ended and appreciating the person for the memories they made together. It's a beautiful way to sing about a relationship that has ended. Rather than sing about revenge or the hatred one may feel toward their ex, Swims shows unfiltered respect and love for this person, even as he learns to let go.. it's incredibly moving.
Guilty
Next is a song about envy, heartbreak, and as the title suggests... guilt. In "Guilty", Swims sings about the guilt he feels for loving someone who may not feel the same for him. Swims expresses a lot of vulnerability in this track... but also acceptance. Acceptance as he sings about coming to terms with any consequences he may face as a result of expressing his love to this person. Sometimes, moving on can be hard... especially if you are trying to move on from a person you put your whole heart into. That kind of longing and urgency is felt throughout the song's entirety, and made for a much darker, yet equally powerful piece.
It Ain't Easy
"It Ain't Easy" is a journey about self-discovery and the anxieties one feels when it comes to putting your love into someone. Upon my first listen-through of this song, I couldn't help but catch the similarities it shares with Fleetwood Mac's Rumors. Then I thought for a moment... the album as a whole takes a lot of inspiration from the hit 1977 album. This song in particular, and I have to say, I loved it. It wasn't my favorite song on the tracklist, but it was impactful nonetheless, especially with lyrics like, "So what do I do with all these weird hard feelings? / Thinkin' all night and you know you're the reason / Ain't like me to let somebody be my high and my weakness."
If You Ever Change Your Mind
We're headed back into heartbreak territory... and I specifically mean my own heart. I sobbed listening to this, and I don't care. It was beautifully written. Like most of the songs on this album, "If You Ever Change Your Mind" was fairly short in length, but was able to convey and express so much in that time. In the song, Swims is singing to his partner, pleading that if they ever have a change of heart about the relationship to just keep it to themself, ideally sparing Swims from the pain and heartbreak, and making it harder for this person to walk away. Toward the end of the song, Swims softly sings "I love you," and it's so gentle and heartbreaking that I had to pause the song for a minute to compose myself.
She Got It (feat. Coco Jones & GloRilla)
And now, we've made our way to the final collaboration piece on this album... "She Got It"! And we're turning the heat back up a bit. It's a sexy, funky piece with a steady beat. Swims sings, and expresses his attraction and appreciation for this person's natural features. Then, Coco Jones and GloRilla come in and I honest to God think I saw Heaven. This song immediately went into my hype playlist... as a bigger woman, myself, I appreciated having a song featured on this album that I could personally connect with. Loved it.
Hammer to the Heart
"Hammer to the Heart" is the penultimate song on this album, and was actually first featured on I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5), the mini extension to the debut album. In this song, Swims expresses feeling helpless in a toxic relationship. Breaking free from a relationship like this one can be a true struggle, which you can interpret from the verse, "We both know what you done, what you done / Don't love anyone, anyone / Anyone but yourself, oh / Just when I think I found the strength to go and push you away, away, oh / I pull you in again, oh, I'm such a sucker for the pain, pain, pain". I've had my fair share of toxic friendships, so I can definitely connect on that level.
She Loves the Rain
And now... we have reached the end. "She Loves the Rain" is the final song on this list, and was, in my opinion, the perfect song to end this album on. After all of the heartbreak and pain Swims expressed in the previous songs, "She Loves the Rain" is about a person who loves their partner, despite the pain that person may be feeling in that moment. It's about unconditional love, and finding something beautiful in what you may think is simply broken. A song about a healthy and loving relationship? It's a theme I rarely hear in music anymore. But it was so beautifully done, and I think was the best way to end off this incredible album.
Overall, I loved this album. As much as I loved the first part, I always felt there was something missing. And I had high hopes that the second part would fulfill that feeling for me. And... it absolutely did. I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) is the perfect conclusion to an already incredible debut album. I think it goes without saying that I'll be listening to this non-stop as I wait patiently for Swims' next release. Incredible work... go and stream the album now wherever you get your music!
Written By Isabel Mays
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.