
The late rapper Mac Miller’s “Balloonerism,” recorded in 2014 but shelved afterward, was released posthumously on Friday.
Miller, a Pittsburgh-based rapper who earned a strong fan base through his introspective lyricism and jazz-influenced production, died in 2018 only a month after the release of his highly acclaimed fifth album, “Swimming.”
Since then, his estate and family have taken care to make sure new material is handled respectfully, avoiding the mistakes of many posthumous albums in the past. The 2020 album “Circles” and the 2021 rerelease of his fan favorite mixtape “Faces” both received praise, showing the intelligence and respect family and collaborators have put into Miller’s legacy.
“Balloonerism” holds a unique spot in Miller’s discography. Due to it being recorded during an especially productive era when he shifted his sound towards a more psychedelic direction, he never found the right time to release it, despite having intended to do so. After his death, unofficial versions of the songs intended for the project appeared online and spread quickly among fans.
Now, with the approval of Miller’s family, “Balloonerism” has been given a proper release, dropping on the same day that “Circles” did five years ago. Fans can rest assured that not only has Miller’s work been done justice, but the material itself is among the best he ever made.
Opening with a short tambourine-based intro, the first proper song on the album is the beautifully dreamy “DJ’s Chord Organ.” Though Miller himself doesn’t rap on this track, instead giving a fantastic feature to SZA, his production wizardry more than makes up for it, showcasing an imaginative and psychedelic beat centered around an organ and angelic background vocals. It’s an unconventional song, and all the better for it.
Those who wish to hear Miller rap don’t have to wait very long, though his lyrical topics lean towards the heavy and melancholic side. “Do You Have a Destination?” uses a drum-heavy beat for Miller to reflect on a lifestyle based on drugs and depression.
“5 Dollar Pony Rides,” the album’s lead single, has a deceptively sunny synth lead and bassline while the lyrics focus on a dark and codependent relationship in which Miller showers a woman with gifts, attempting to spoil her sadness away.
The next few songs have a particular focus on female characters with similar vices of drug addiction to avoid the pains of reality. “Friendly Hallucinations” tells the story of a woman who finds herself disconnected from reality, only finding solace in delusions that feel more real than life itself. On the album highlight, “Stoned,” a blues guitar riff accompanies Miller’s attempts to help a depressed and distant woman by getting drugs together.
Perhaps the best song on “Balloonerism” is “Funny Pages,” a layered gem where Miller reads stories of birth and death in the newspaper and ponders on existence itself.
The beat is based around a calming piano melody, while poetic lines such as “The moon’s wide awake, with a smile on his face / As he smuggles constellations in his suitcase” paint wonderfully surreal and abstract pictures. The track retains some darker edges but is counterbalanced by portraits of hope and perseverance.
The closing stretch includes some of Miller’s most experimental work across his career, a series of risks that excite and could make fans wish he showed this side of himself more often.
“Transformations” is rapped from the perspective of his alter ego, Delusional Thomas, using pitch-shifted vocals and dissonant keys to create a bizarre and uncomfortable mood. One of the shorter songs on the album, “Excelsior,” delivers potent observations on the world’s corruption of youthful innocence.
“Rick’s Piano,” named after legendary producer and Miller’s personal friend Rick Rubin, is a surprisingly optimistic take on death, with the chant of “The best is yet to come” echoing throughout the excellent track.
He saves the most daunting for last, however, with the 12-minute “Tomorrow Will Never Know.” The first half is a meditation on the suffocating nature of depression, before transitioning into an abstract soundscape of telephone rings, children’s laughter and wandering guitars. It’s a bold and powerful finale.
The songs on “Balloonerism,” despite regularly having a distance in narration, feel unsettlingly close to Miller’s own struggles during his lifetime. He seems fully aware of the destructive nature of his habits, and death looms in the background of each track, sometimes being directly addressed. The contrast between this subject matter and the relaxing, jazzy music is often difficult to take in but comes together into a near-masterpiece of an emotional journey.