"not over you," which poignantly evokes the difficulty of getting over someone, is one of two songs degraw co-wrote with ryan tedder for "sweeter", which was recorded in several locations, including ryan's studio in denver, blackbird studio in nashville, producer butch walker's space in venice, ca and the legendary henson recording studios in hollywood. the album finds degraw experimenting with new sounds, which resulted in a potent, swaggering strut, both musically and lyrically, on sexually charged songs like the r&b-infused "sweeter" and "radiation." the racier moments are balanced out by more emotionally transparent songs like the vigorous "not over you," and the uplifting "soldier" and "you know where i'm at," which convey vulnerability while still managing to feel distinctly masculine.