By Ryan Fogg, Jan. 28, 2025
Two days before what would have been his 33rd birthday, the estate of Mac Miller gave fans a gift — a new album by the late musician titled “Balloonerism.”
Released Jan. 17, “Balloonerism” isn’t simply remnants of a period from Miller’s life, it is a fully fleshed out project that captures the musician’s ability to make feel-good music during a dark time in his life.
Although unofficial versions have been circulating online for years, “Balloonerism” was finally released after being shelved by Miller in 2014. The project was teased Nov. 16 during Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival. Days later, Miller’s estate formally announced the album on social media Nov. 21.
Miller tragically died at 26 after an accidental overdose in September 2018. His first posthumous album, “Circles,” was released in 2020 under the careful production of Jon Brion.
For long-time fans, “Balloonerism” is nothing new. The album was originally created during the making of his 2013 release “Watching Movies with the Sound Off” and his 2014 mixtape “Faces” but was later put to the side in favor of both projects.
“Balloonerism” marks Miller’s seventh studio album in his discography. It consists of 14 songs with features from Thundercat, SZA and Ashley All Day. It’s also an experimental album that includes concepts of jazz and neo-soul, often sounding existential and dreamy.
The album’s core themes address death, loneliness, escapism and Miller’s struggle with self-medicating. Many songs from the album including the lead single “5 Dollar Pony Rides” address these themes. The track centers around Miller reflecting on a complex, emotionally distant relationship, fleeting pleasures and highlights the emptiness of quick fixes. Reminiscent of his high energy and jumpy style from his previous work “K.I.D.S.,” the track is filled with infectious piano chords and a high-tempo jazz beat. The song currently leads the album in streams on most streaming platforms.
‘Balloonerism’ continues the spaced-out production of “Circles” with more use of strings and piano. The first two tracks “Tambourine Dream” and “DJ’s Chord Organ” rely heavily on instrumentals like the tambourine and organ chords to pull you into Miller’s liminal space.
SZA’s angelic voice toward the end of “DJ’s Chord Organ” only amplifies the dream-like state Miller creates within his production. The listener is taken on an audio-visual journey through powerful organ chords, along with bass and adlibs from Thundercat.
“Do You Have A Destination?” introduces us to the existential themes placed throughout the album, as Miller ponders life and death in lines, such as “I gave my life to this s***, already killed myself.”
The following track “Friendly Hallucinations” sees the prelude of his jazz-infused production and flows seen on later projects. In the song, Miller tells the story of a girl affected by drug-induced illusions as she falls “in love with fantasy.” He alludes to another world as he sings the lyric, “There’s another paradise waiting on the other side of the dock.”
It is fair to infer that the woman serves as a mirror of Miller himself, who was open about struggles with drug addiction.
While topics of death and drug abuse are prevalent, Miller does offer some comic reassurance amidst existential conversations. In the track “Stoned,” he claims, “Heaven feels just like home.” And in “Shangri-la,” he promises to make fans smile at his funeral if he happened to die young. Although the song was recorded years before his tragic death, it seems as though Miller made himself comfortable with the idea of dying.
“Balloonerism” closes on an almost 12-minute track, “Tomorrow will never know,” a gloomy and progressive track that repeats many questions over and over. Miller utilizes soft, dulled down vocals to deliver a beautifully haunting outro in which he asks, “Do they love just like we do?” surrounded by an ethereal moving soundscape.
Accompanying the album, “Balloonerism,” a film based on the album by Mac Miller was released on Amazon Prime Video as it was created alongside the project.
Miller, even after his death, has continued to evoke conversations about drug and substance abuse among men and celebrities, and he was an artist who was constantly in pursuit of a better tomorrow, unafraid to show the human journey to get there. “Balloonerism” is entirely focused on Miller’s musings, offering his fans a glimpse into his psyche and appreciating the messages he left for them.
Feature image courtesy of Tolton Clarke
