I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2)


I've Tried Everything but Therapy is the second half of the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Teddy Swims. A follow up to his debut album I've Tried Everything but Therapy , the album was released on January 24, 2025, by Warner Records, and features the singles "Bad Dreams", "Are You Even Real" and "Guilty", and also includes the Bose x NME: C24 Mixtape single, "Funeral".
An album reflecting the current state of his personal life, I've Tried Everything but Therapy blends together diverse genres, including R&B, pop, country, rock, and soul-pop, and features artists such as Giveon, Muni Long, Coco Jones, and GloRilla.
I've Tried Everything but Therapy peaked at number one in Australia and Croatia, and entered the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album also received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry. It was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and promotion

In an interview with People magazine, Swims revealed how his personal life has influenced the creation of I've Tried Everything but Therapy , specifically his single "Bad Dreams". He revealed that the song was inspired by his current girlfriend, Raiche Wright, and her ability to help him navigate during his restless nights. He also described the album as a more upbeat record in comparison to his debut album, reflecting the current state of his personal life. He added, "I feel like we're closing a chapter on a moment in my life that deserves to be closed." He also added that the album is meant to share to the listeners regarding the progress of his healing journey, and that "how on the other side of heartbreak, there’s a beautiful life waiting to happen".
To promote the album, Swims appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, talking about how the album will provide more healing and closure to what he was working through in his debut album. Likewise, he appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show. He also made a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing the song "Bad Dreams".

Critical reception

I've Tried Everything but Therapy was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Writing for the magazine Rolling Stone, Maura Johnston gave the album a favorable review, calling Swims a "pop scholar", and that "he shines most brightly when he’s in settings that suggest jukebox hits of yore". Jordan Bassett from New Musical Express and Damien Morris from The Observer both gave the album 4 stars out of 5. Bassett said that "the swiftly released follow-up staves off a bad case of sequelitis because it successfully deepens Swims’ story". Morris, on the other hand, wrote that the sequel album "feels more corporate", calling the tracks "genre-hopping" and "playlist-pleasing", and that the album is "much gusty whimpering about how great his girlfriend is."
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney from the British newspaper Financial Times gave it a 3 out of 5, writing that the album has a "calculating heart amid the songs’ romantic turbulence." Renowned for Sound's Ryan Bulbeck also gave the album a positive review, saying that the album "not only continues the sound of the previous release, but also the watertight songwriting and excellent performances". Tai Lawson from Shatter the Standards gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars, citing that the album "feels more mature and cohesive", "demonstrates growth in both songwriting and production", and calling the arrangements "sophisticated, with instrumental layers that create rich textures without overshadowing Teddy’s powerful voice". Lawson also applauded Swims' vocal versatility, calling it "loaded with emotion and capable of moving seamlessly between subtle and powerful."
Writing for the magazine Variety, Jem Aswad stated that the album "succeeds, although its head-spinning array of genres — different takes on pop, R&B and country — try a little too hard to be everything for everybody." He also applauded Swims' vocal delivery, calling it "stellar" and "versatile", albeit noting that his attempts at multiple genres "do not always land" because of the album's oversized production. Michael Cragg from The Guardian gave the album a mixed review, saying that the album was not "designed to creep up on you". He pointed out Swims’ "occasional lyrical shortcomings" but praised the "airier, soft-rock sound" songs of the album.

Accolades

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Musicians

  • Jaten Dimsdale – lead vocals, background vocals
  • Matt Zara – guitar, drums, bass, piano, programming, synthesizer, organ, percussion, strings, keyboards, background vocals
  • Julian Bunetta – drums, programming, synthesizer, background vocals, percussion, guitar, piano, bass, synthesizer
  • Jeff Gitelman – programming, drums, bass, guitar, percussion, background vocals, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer
  • John Ryan – programming, background vocals, guitar, bass, piano, percussion, synthesizer, drums
  • Joshua Coleman – programming, drums, background vocals, strings, percussion, bass, piano, synthesizer
  • Peter Thomas – drums, guitar, bass, piano, synthesizer
  • Ian Fitchuk – programming, drums, piano, percussion, acoustic guitar
  • Daniel Tashian – bass, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, slide guitar
  • Jon Green – programming, piano, drums, strings
  • Jonathan Hoskins – programming, percussion, drums
  • John Sudduth – background vocals
  • Drew McKeon – drums
  • Bryan Page – drums, violin
  • Jasper Harris – keyboards, background vocals
  • Giveon Dezmann Evans – vocals
  • Priscilla Renea – vocals
  • Courtney Jones – vocals
  • Gloria Woods – vocals
  • Mikkel S. Eriksen – programming
  • Tor Erik Hermansen – programming
  • Denise Carite – background vocals
  • Marcus Lomax – background vocals
  • TaeJaun Ellis – background vocals
  • Brendan Civale – background vocals
  • Damon Bunetta – background vocals
  • Rocky Block – background vocals
  • Rixlii – strings
  • Dann Huff – guitar
  • Charlie Coffeen – piano
  • Sora M. Lopez – cello
  • Erik Elligers – tenor saxophone
  • Miles Julian – trumpet
  • Austin Hoke – cello
  • Betsy Lamb – viola
  • Annaliese Kowert – violin
  • Laura Epling – violin
  • Ian McGimpsey – pedal steel guitar
  • Shaan Ramaprasad – strings

    Technical

  • Nathan Dantzler – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Jeff Gunnell – mixing, recording
  • Julian Bunetta – mixing, recording
  • Matt Zara – recording
  • Jeff Gitelman – recording
  • John Ryan – recording
  • Alex Ghenea – mixing
  • Joshua Coleman – recording
  • Jon Green – recording
  • Peter Thomas – recording
  • Brian Cruz – recording
  • Kuk Harrell – recording
  • Xavier Daniel – recording
  • Konrad Snyder – recording
  • Jonathan Hoskins – recording
  • Stargate – recording
  • Aaron Bolton – recording
  • Philip Lynah Jr. – recording
  • Jordan Lehning – strings engineering
  • Harrison Tate – mastering assistance
  • Terena Dawn – recording assistance

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications