Mac Miller's Posthumous Circles Album Review
A year and a half after his tragic death, Mac Miller’s estate released the long-awaited posthumous album Circles. The record, a companion album to Swimming, includes the tracks Miller was working on leading up to his drug overdose in 2018. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Jon Brion was working closely with Miller up until the very end and had the honor of connecting the dots Miller left behind. Posthumous albums are tricky to perfect and often fall short. However, Circles is a serendipitous exception.
The opening track Circles, cleverly titled “Circles,” is so nostalgic and instantly fills the listener with such deep wishful feelings that it’s almost formulaic. I, for one, wouldn’t consider myself some die-hard fan of his but always admired and respected his works. Even I, though, was teary-eyed just 30 seconds into listening to the album. The listener cannot help but have an emotional response, too, to the first fresh lyrics since his death: “Well, this is what it look like; right before you fall.” The track, very indicative of the album’s purpose, describes feelings of drawing circles, as though life has inescapable cycles that keep on turning no matter what.
There is no other way to describe these lyrics than heartbreaking. However, just as the listener begins to fall into a somber trap, Miller lightens the mood with bouncy, electronic sounds. While the lyrics continue to address dark topics, the lighter energy allows the listener to not get as overwhelmed and actually marinate in the material.
Regardless of the music quality, though, the listener is painfully aware of the dramatic irony of the album; Miller does not end up beating his demons in the end and tragically passes away. It hurts to listen to, but the pain is ultimately what makes the work so special.
The only way to understand the magic of this album is to listen to it yourself. Below, you will find my top five songs, three words to describe it, and its best lyric.
Hand Me Downs
Tender, sentimental, brilliant
“Let’s turn these genes into hand me downs”
2. Complicated
Soulful, relatable, layered
“Some people say they want to live forever; That’s way too long, I’ll just get through the day”
3. Good News
Moving, difficult, real
“Why I gotta build something beautiful just to go set it on fire?”
4. Blue World
Danceable, honest, distinguished
“I ain’t politicking, I ain’t kissing no babies”
5. Circles
Brutal, authentic, comforting
“And I cannot be changed, I cannot be changed, no; Trust me, I’ve tried”