“Swag’s” sequel is upon us.
Justin Bieber released the pink-jacketed “Swag II” early Friday morning, less than two months after he dropped its black-jacketed predecessor in mid-July. (On X, the singer posted that meme of the goth and Barbie houses sitting side by side in Santa Monica.)
Like the first “Swag,” the 23-track “Swag II” arrived with only about a day’s notice; like the earlier collection, the new one — Bieber’s eighth studio LP if you don’t count it as merely a deluxe edition of “Swag” — is sure to rack up millions of streams over the weekend.
Here are five things to know about “Swag II”:
1. New album, (mostly) same swag
Bieber’s in more or less the same sound world he was in last time, laying his cooing vocals over squeaky, scratchy arrangements that pull from indie rock and ’80s R&B. It’s a dramatic shift from the glistening teen-pop production of his early hits and from the high-gloss EDM beats of his collabs with the likes of Diplo and DJ Snake. But veteran Beliebers know he’s got a soft spot for this type of music: “Swag” and “Swag II” are in a lineage with 2013’s cult-fave “Journals” and 2020’s underrated “Changes.”
2. Same swaggy team of producers
Though streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music didn’t immediately publish the album’s credits, a press release from Bieber’s label Def Jam said he made “Swag II” with much of the same team behind “Swag,” including Carter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Dijon, Mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit and Eddie Benjamin. Also in the mix this time: Mike Will (better known as Mike Will Made It).
3. The features? Swag-tastic
Guest appearances on the album come from Benjamin; Bakar; Lil B, who also made a cameo on “Swag”; the Nigerian singer Tems, with whom Bieber teamed in 2021 for a remix of Wizkid’s “Essence”; and Hurricane Chris, the Southern rapper known for his 2007 teen-rap hit “A Bay Bay.”
4. His skit swag is missing
No Druski! The internet comedian appeared in a handful of very cringe skits on “Swag” in which he encourages Bieber to smoke Black & Mild cigars and tells the singer that, although his skin is white, his soul is Black. (“Thank you,” Bieber responds.) This time he went without.
5. His family man swag is still strong
As on “Swag,” Bieber has marriage, fatherhood and religion on his mind here. In “Better Man,” he offers up a horny Spider-Man reference to match the one in the earlier album’s “405,” while “Mother in You” recounts the wee-hours moment when his young son “looked right through me like you really knew me.” “Swag II” closes with “Story of God,” a nearly 8-minute track in which Bieber narrates the tale of the Garden of Eden against a backing of churchy keyboards and reverbed gospel wailing.