★★★☆☆

Teddy Swims’ “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (complete edition)” is undoubtedly a soul-baring journey of heartbreak, healing, and self-reclamation. It starts with six new tracks, combining his fantastic “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1.5)” with the introspective wisdom of “Part 2”. So, this is the “complete edition”. It becomes not just a retrospective, but a full-circle statement. Overall, it is a picture about coming undone — and learning how to stitch yourself back together.

But is this all a bit too much, Teddy?

First, the new tracks.

From Breakdown to Breakthrough

Six new tracks were added to Disc 1, giving the original narrative a new dimension. These songs are certainly not filler. But, I’m not sure they need to be part of the “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy” grouping.

1. Need You More

Arguably, the emotional centerpiece of the new material, albeit the first track, Need You More. It’s a powerhouse ballad fueled by longing and regret. Swims’ vocal range is on full display here, stretching from delicate to explosive. It’s the kind of track that earns its place not just on the album, but in his live set.

2. God Went Crazy

A soaring ballad – it’s romantic and spiritual, expressing overwhelming gratitude for a love that feels heaven-sent. The lyrics are wide-eyed and devotional, setting a tone of reverence and warmth.

3. Free Drugs

Mellow and groove-driven, this track leans into acoustic pop-R&B. It’s smooth and easygoing, built more on vibe than dramatic peaks. It doesn’t carry the same weight as other songs. However, it offers a necessary breather. This is a moment of levity that still feels emotionally grounded.

4. … Small Hands (feat. Raiche)

This gentle, deeply personal duet is a tender reflection on parenthood and partnership. It’s soft, nurturing, and filled with vulnerability. The real-life connection between the two singers adds authenticity to a song about creating a future together.

5. Dancing With Your Ghost

Moody, ambient, and intimate. This song lingers like a memory you can’t quite shake. The production is restrained, allowing the aching melody and haunted lyrics to take center stage. It’s beautifully understated—a moment of quiet devastation.

6. All Gas, No Brakes (feat. BigXthaPlug)

Closing Disc 1 with a jolt of energy, All Gas, No Brakes veers into uptempo, genre-bending territory. It’s swaggering, playful, and sonically adventurous. After five emotionally rich songs, it’s bold to slam the door shut on that chapter. However, I’m not sure that having BigXthaPlug really works with Swims as a rapping duet, to be honest.

The Voice at the Center

Swims doesn’t just sing—he testifies. His vocals are filled with grain and grit, tenderness and trauma. He moves effortlessly between falsetto vulnerability and full-bodied soul belting. What’s most compelling is the sincerity behind every note. You believe him—because it sounds like he’s lived it.

Genre Fusion Done (Sorta) Right

The album(s) flow across R&B, pop, country, gospel, and now even flashes of hip-hop without ever feeling incoherent. Each style serves the story rather than distracting from it. The instrumentation ranges from stripped-back acoustic to cinematic swells, all unified by emotional truth.

Swims’ “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (complete edition)” is an emotionally rich statement. It blends genres and brings full closure to the narrative arc started in 2003’s “Part 1” (or “Part 1.5”). It’s a project that charts the journey from heartbreak to healing, from emotional wreckage to cautious hope.

Highlights From the Originals

Songs like Need You More, Lose Control, Bad Dreams, and Hammer to the Heart stand out for their catchy melodies. They are also notable for their lyrical honesty. Not Your Man is a gut punch in the best way. It is an admission of romantic inadequacy. This message is delivered with vulnerability and grit. Meanwhile, Funeral and The Door tackle mortality and recovery with rare grace. There’s a sense that every song was chosen to reflect a piece of a very personal puzzle.

Emotional Arc

“Part 1.5” is all emotional wreckage: pleading, regret, desperation. “Part 2” is about stitching yourself back together and learning how to stand up straight again. Taken together, the album tells a compelling story of redemption, not just in love but in self-worth.

But why a “complete edition” when I’ve already bought “Parts 1.5” and “Part 2”? Will there be a “Part 3”? Or could these tracks have been part of a new album instead?

Final Thoughts

It is hard to review a “complete edition” such as this. Swims never tries to mask his pain — he leans into it, explores it, and, ultimately, grows from it. As a whole, Swims has crafted a work that’s both deeply personal and widely relatable. This is definitely music for anyone who’s experienced heartbreak. They’re trying, in any way they can, to piece themselves back together.

But I wonder if the new tracks could have been part of a new album? Instead, they were just tagged onto two (or three) albums that have been out for a few years already? I bought “Part 1.5,” but I feel like Warner Records is now fining me for being such a Swims fan with this release! (As an aside, will there ever be a physical release of the “complete edition” to even put on my shelf? – currently, it is all digital.)

I hope that Swims has completed this cycle. And I really, really hope Swims is ready to turn a new page.

Chris Garrod, July 13, 2025