Swag I took everyone by surprise. It laid Justin Bieber’s cards bare, offering intimate insight into the personal life that fans had long speculated about, over fresh, lo-fi pop production deeply indebted to Dijon and Mk.gee. So much so that, when JB announced yesterday that the sequel would be dropping at midnight, it wasn’t just devout Belieber’s that were holding their breath – a whole host of new fans were, too. Well, after a fraught rollout that saw Bieber spam his Instagram with 40-plus posts apologising for the delay, the verdict is in: the Swag magic has, for the most part, worn off. 

Released as a second-disc addendum to the original Swag, today’s release was reportedly delayed due to Bieber making last-minute amendments to the project – and it shows. Swag II is long – like 23 tracks, no interludes, long – and quality generally seems to decline throughout its 76-minute runtime. Early hits “Speed Demon” and “Love Song” only seem to replicate the lovably messy peaks of the Swag I’s “Daisies” and “Yukon”, while it’s only in choice features from Tems, Bakar and Hurricane Chris that anything interesting really happens across the remaining 20 songs. Bieber, thankfully, isn’t calling himself Black this time around, but he isn’t saying anything else either. In short: Swag II is crying out for an edit.  

And this general sense of disappointment is only deepened by Bieber’s apparent doubling back on what was arguably Swag I’s central appeal in the closing moments of the sequel. Where the original Swag drew praise for Bieber’s vulnerable attempts at owning his mistakes and resolving to be a good father and husband, a bizarre Christian turn in Swag II’s seven-minute spoken word finale threatens to undo all of that. Retelling mankind’s fall from the Garden of Eden from the perspective of Adam, “The Story of God” appears to blame “his love” Eve for original sin. Gone is the relatable and flawed father figure that made Swag I so compelling, as JB distances himself from fans to position himself as one thing above all: a Belieber of God.

Religious tangents notwithstanding, there was clearly some great music to come out of Bieber’s sessions with Mk.gee and Dijon that produced the Swag double-bill. But did we really need to listen to two hours and 11 minutes to get that? Probably not. There’s a lot of fat to trim from Swag II, and, by ranking the five best tracks from the project below, we’ve done exactly that.

5. “LYIN’”

“Lyin’” might sound exactly like “All I Can Take part 2” but that doesn’t stop it from being totally compelling. In situ, the track offers a pleasant switch-up after decidedly static cuts “Oh Man” and “Petting Zoo”, expanding into a dynamic, synth-laden pop hit. We get vulnerable Bieber back, hashing out a fight that took place “last night in the living room”, and attempting to reflect on how his abandonment issues affect his relationship with Hailey. While Swag II might be in dire need of some pruning, “Lyin’” definitely survives the director’s cut. 

4. “POPPIN’ MY S*** FEAT. HURRICANE CHRIS”

808s form such a nice addition to Swag I’s pop-R&B sound, it’s a wonder they don’t feature more prominently on its sequel. In one sense, “Poppin’ My Shit” seems like the exact sort of music fans might have been expecting in the run-up to Swag I, with JB incorporating stuttering trap hi-hats and rapped verses into his pop universe – and it’s actually pretty fire. Meanwhile, LA rapper Hurricane Chris (who is perhaps only recognisable to LA locals for his 2007 radio hit “Bay Bay”), wins the award for most unexpected moment on Swag II. With the duo flexing about having “Cali baddies from Ratchett City to New Orleans” this is the ‘standing on business’-era JB we were all afraid we would get… yet it actually makes one wonder what could have been. 

 3. “DON’T WANNA FEAT. BAKAR”

Where much of Swag II seems to rehash the original’s Mk.gee and Dijon-fusing formula, Bakar-assisted cut “Don’t Wanna” stands out with an identity of its own. The duo are on their Michael Jackson shit here, with a “The Way You Make Me Feel”-coded bassline, and reverb-gated snares lifted right out of the 80s. MJ forms a welcome influence on the project as a whole, with lead track “Speed Demon” also appearing to pay homage to The King of Pop’s original, and providing some nice diversity on what is otherwise just part two to Swag I’s Two Star and the Dream Police All Star Edition. Here, UK indie anti-hero Bakar’s raspy vocals provide a strong antidote to Bieber’s pop clarity, while production is about as exciting as Swag II gets.

2. “LOVE SONG”

Much like Swag I, it is Mk.gee’s sole contribution to Swag II that delivers one of its best moments. Even with the entire double-bill taking huge inspiration from Mr. Two Star and the Dream Police, the real deal still shines through. There’s a magic to be found in Mk.gee’s raw, meandering guitar riffs mirroring Bieber’s own heartfelt ruminations on love – this time seeing JB committed to writing a love song that the Queen Belieber herself, Hailey, can’t stop singing back to him. It’s not quite “Daisies” but it’s still really cute. 

1. “SPEED DEMON” 

There was some humour to be found in the fact that, after Swag II’s drop was delayed by an hour, opening track “Speed Demon” urges listeners to “keep checking” and casts Bieber “speed racing for the record”. Still, it seems to be the most polished cut today’s release has to offer, with dynamic, sun-soaked pop-RnB production seeming destined for cruising down LA boulevard, while lyrics embody the intimate and personal spirit of the Swag double-bill – he even sings it himself: he’s “wearing his heart on the sleeve”. The track appears to call out those who doubted him in the run-up to Swag I’s surprise success, with lines like “They try to say I'm out of my mind, but now they singing every line”, while the chorus’ silky-smooth layered vocals ensure that “Speed Demon” will likely be the lasting hit of the project. It’s the best that Swag II gets, and it arrives right at the start. 

Swag II is out now.