When the young American musician, Mac Miller, died on September 7th 2018, people were utterly devastated by the news, tearing a hole in the music industry as he was very loved. Although he was gone, fans, as well as his team, never let his presence or music fade. Today, Mac Miller still has almost 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
On January 17th 2020, Warner Records released posthumously Circles, an album that honored Miller’s music legacy. It was a collaboration between Miller and producer Jon Brion, in which Brion had also worked to complete using Mac Miller’s old notes, demo tracks, and recordings.
November 21 2024, Mac Miller’s estate announced a new album, Balloonerism. They declared the album would be released January 17th 2025, exactly 5 years after Circles. People that attended the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival received a trailer of the album back in November.
This album was not secret to his fans, as he had previously worked on Balloonerism back in 2014 yet it was never finished. However “versions of it have been passed around for years” Pigeons and Planes stated on their platform that highlights new music around the world. It was a very near and dear project to Miller that he even commissioned artwork for the album alone. This led his family and his estate to the ultimate decision of releasing the official album. .When the album was officially announced, the Miller family provided an explanation as to why they are releasing it now, stating, “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist.…we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.” Via Warner Brother Records, and with the help of old producers that worked with the musician prior, Mac Miller’s team cleaned, and perfected what was needed using unfinished tracks.
Balloonerism holds 14 different tracks with features from SZA, and Delusional Thomas, a mixtape by Mac Miller himself, his “alter ego”, as fans named it. His estate released the completed track list, and previewed the album by releasing the song “5 Dollar Pony Rides” on January 9th. The preview created pure happiness, and excitement amongst people for the new album.
So many have been waiting on this album to finally be released because Balloonerism was left untouched until now, creating a shock of nostalgia within Mac Miller’s fandom. This furthered the connection fans had to him even after his passing. Balloonerism demonstrated a different side of his work, using a darker approach with heavier musical depth and versatility.
