News of Mac Miller’s passing at age 27 in 2018 rocked the music industry. On top of a dedicated fanbase, the multi-talent cultivated deep, personal relationships with a litany of faces around hip-hop and elsewhere: John Mayer, ScHoolboy Q, Vince Staples, etc. His presence is still felt greatly through many of those same names. He is celebrated and cited in their work and live appearances, but rarely through any new releases. His estate, largely handled by family members and close friends, has held his “vault” tracks close to the vest. But, a fresh Mac Miller album, Balloonerism, is now reportedly on the way.
Behind Balloonerism
The estate shared the news via their official @92tilinfinity Instagram account. But, word also came via an activation at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival. A release date for January 17, 2025, has been set. Though no official track names have surfaced, 14 tracks and an album cover are confirmed on streaming services.
Without naming names (in the interest of letting the artists truly rest in peace), there’s been a growing trend in the music industry of squeezing late musician’s work far beyond its limits in the wake of their passing. Mac Miller’s camp has clearly bucked that, showcasing a level of care and connection to the fanbase worth praising. Circles, his only posthumous release so far, only hit the shelves because it was so late into development. Its final legs were left to producer Jon Brion, who was already a principal player in the record.
Paraphrasing the estate’s press release, Balloonerism is similarly set to see the light of day because Miller was so committed to doing so in some shape or form. The LP was composed in the years surrounding Faces and Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Each of those albums is proof of the Pittsburgh MC’s switch from high-spirited “frat rapper” to a far more complex character. However, moving the album from the vault to the public took a backseat to his full-lengths released in the time since. GOOD A:M, The Divine Feminine and Swimming hit shelves from 2015 until his passing. Yet, throughout that period, Mac Miller maintained that Balloonerism would eventually get its day.
An Early Breakdown Of What Mac Miller Tracks Balloonerism Might Contain
A run-off effect of the Mac Miller estate’s guarded attitude towards his unreleased material is voracious demand for demos, leaks and loosies from his (still extremely dedicated) fanbase. Those who are a part of that group will note that supposed collab albums with Pharrell and Madlib, titled Pink Slime and Maclib, respectively, remain mysterious objects of fascination. Balloonerism, on the other hand, is a more fleshed-out proposition. Select fans are taking it upon themselves to compile leaks from that 2013/14 era and piece together a supposed tracklist. In the release itself, it’s noted that there have been “unofficial versions of the album circulat[ing] online for years.” Obviously, we won’t have a clear answer until release day. However, that acknowledgment and “The Song That Changes Everything” appearing in early promo material both hint that some of those leaks may be on point.
As mentioned earlier, Balloonerism, the seventh Mac Miller album, is set to release on January 17th, 2025. In the meantime, catch everything Mac Miller wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Kendrick Lamar – GNX caps off a banner year for the Compton MC.
