Justin Bieber’s ‘Swag II’: Every Song Ranked
Billboard sizes up the 23 new songs on Bieber’s semi-surprise sequel set. 9/5/2025 Justin Bieber Renell Medrano Swag, swag, swag… on II. The suddenly very prolific pop superstar Justin Bieber 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. The 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 ’00s Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris. But no skits this time — Druski makes nary an appearance across the set, although “I’m not the one” and “It’s not clocking to you” references are both made in the album’s lyrics. And the blockbuster sequel closes with the longest Bieber album cut to date: “Story of God,” a nearly eight-minute spoken-word retelling of the Adam and Eve story, with Justin narrating as Adam. Ultimately, the set will unquestionably be worth the wait for Beliebers, who now have a whopping 44 tracks’ worth of Swag to keep them cuddly in the cold-weather months that lie ahead. And with Bieber’s sneaky productivity of late, who knows if there might even be a third Swagstallment still waiting in the wings. Until then, though, here’s our early ranking of the 23 tracks new to Swag II. “Need It” “I could put you on the map,” Bieber promises — the 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’re 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. “I Think You’re Special” (feat. Tems) “Love is over everything/ This is what I believe.” Justin has been pretty consistent on this front, particularly lately, but if you want more evidence to this effect, take “I Think You’re Special” — 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. “Story of God” Bieber 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 — and is undoubtedly worth at least one full listen — but your replay mileage certainly may vary on this one over the course of nearly eight minutes. “Dotted Line” The 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. “All the Way” Bieber plays his own backing group on “All the Way,” echoing all his lyrics in a separate channel (“I can feel your eyes taking over me” (“Takin’ over me!“)) 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 “Hey Ya!” type music video treatment is in his future. “Open Up Your Heart” (feat. Eddie Benjamin) With power ballad synths and drums that wouldn’t feel out of place on The Weeknd’s After Hours, piano that verges on Bruce Hornsby-esque and a guest vocal from Eddie Benjamin, “Open Up Your Heart” should probably feel like the climax to Swag II. And maybe it would with a slightly stronger chorus sentiment than “Open up your heart/ Tell me what you’re really feeling.” Or maybe it would if Bieber had actually gotten Bruce Hornsby on the track. “Poppin My Shit” (feat. Hurricane Chris) Hurricane Chris on a Justin Bieber album?! Sure, why not — there’s not a ton else to the song, but Shreveport, Louisana’s finest sounds pretty good over the album’s trappiest production yet, and he closes it with a co-sign that would undoubtedly make 10-year-old Bieb’s heart squeal with glee: “Got some friends and they all love Justin Bieber.” “Witchya” “In my head, it shoulda been easy/ How come it ain’t easy to let it go?” Slow, swiveling drums and tender guitar give extra weight to Bieber’s late-night-feeling queries on “Witchya.” 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. “Better Man” A love song laced with falsetto and built around sweet lyrics like “If I know one thing that’s true/ You know exactly what to do and it’s amazing” — not spectacular, but effective. And another Spider-Man reference, because apparently that’s the thing for Canadian pop stars going R&B in 2025. “I Do” “I Do” trades the organic-sounding drums of the set’s first few tracks for skittering machine hits, paired with surprisingly Cocteau Twins-like synth atmospherics and bluesy guitar figures seemingly played form another room. Bieb proclaims on the chorus, “I mean it when I say that I do… You’ll always be the one that I choose” — a potential wedding first-dance song, if you and your spouse are really into 4AD. “Don’t Wanna” (feat. Bakar) Riding the kind of bass-led rhythm that Quincy Jones might’ve engineered for peak MJ — but kept spare, without all the horns and extra layers that Q would’ve traditionally piled on — “Don’t Wanna” is still a mean-enough groove that Bieb calls in reinforcements to help corral it in the
