I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition)

the take

I never really saw the hype into Teddy Swims... and I still don't even see it now. The only reason I found out about him was because my friend/former coworker was recommending me music and recommended Swims' "Lose Control" and a live performance he did on a show or something. I told them I'd check it out, but only if I didn't forget... but I forgot and literally remembered early this year for my #25AlbumsFor2025 Challenge. The end result? It's a good body of work (spanning two years, if we're considering the "Complete Edition"), but it's nothing too crazy. Vocally speaking, Teddy Swims is just okay, in my opinion; but what makes people like him is probably the raw emotions and feelings that accompany his songs. I feel like that's what at least kept me interested and listening to him. Songs like "Evergreen" and "Your Kind of Crazy" stuck out to me not only because of how great each composition is, but because the songwriting is relatable to me at this point in time. That's pretty much the main positive thing about "I've Tried Everything But Therapy": its relatability to my life. So how come I don't think it's any better? It's because at times, I don't know if Teddy Swims sounds authentic over more soulful production, as it sounds too... diluted for me to attempt to appreciate. Sure, it may come off as convincing, but when it doesn't, I can't help but have my mind wander and question why I can't seem to get into it. And yet, I find myself going back to songs like "Lose Control" and "Black & White" frequently. The flipside of this album, AKA the country/pop rock sound, lowkey just came and went for me. While Swims sounded a bit more comfortable on these kind of tracks, they didn't really do much to sway my opinion of them all too much. I don't know. As a whole, "I've Tried Everything But Therapy" is good, but it tries to do too much and is a bit all over the place. In the end, I still don't exactly see the appeal in his music, though.