After a surprise announcement in December and a protracted promo effort, Mac Miller’s Balloonerism is finally here, a 2014 mixtape recorded during the creative process for his 2015 mixtape, Faces. Adding the addendum to an already beloved project within the fanbase, the project is finally available — here’s everything you need to know.
Select Guest Appearances Make Big Impact On Mac Miller And Balloonerism
That period coincides with Miller’s true ascension to stardom, when he assembled a Rolodex to match. In the three projects during that period, the rapper penned his first collaborations with artists from Kendrick Lamar to Cam’Ron to Lil Wayne. Given that, it’s no shock that we see moments on this mixtape to match.
After a brief instrumental intro, Mac Miller and Balloonerism earnestly kick off with “DJ’s Chord Organ,” a grandiose multi-stage piece that only he could have assembled. What sounds like a music lesson begins the song before SZA enters, bearing the smoky delivery from her early career, such a sharp departure from the lyrical alto we now know her to have. Though the song functions as the opening salvo for what could be the final Mac Miller full-length, he doesn’t appear until the closing third, when the “chord organ,” drums, and layered Mac vocals reach a cacophonous state in the instrumental close. Extended minor chords and repeated near-screaming harmonies set up the addled, uncanny atmosphere that paces much of the record.
The TDE superstar is the only one with an above-the-line credit on Balloonerism. Still, the origin story behind this Mac Miller posthumous release reveals some other behind-the-scenes stars. Reportedly, most of the record’s material comes from a two-week jam session in the recording process for Faces, with bass guitar sensation Thundercat and his brother Ronald Bruner, Jr. as two of the principal actors. The record’s reliance on languid bass lines, often provided by Thundercat, echoes the same from Faces, which became a signature sound for that mixtape. Even when it’s not his particular talents, similar drawn-out string sections mirror the work of additional guest stars like John Mayer, stepping into the simultaneously relaxed and disconnected world of Mac Miller from ~2013 to ~2015.
A Conflicted Psyche On Display
Some of the songwriting conceits that Mac Miller employs with Balloonerism feel like a piece with that classic rockstar inversion of “the girl is a drug / the drug is a girl.” You don’t need an English degree to deduce that many of the issues that Miller discusses in second-person tense on tracks like “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” “Friendly Hallucinations,” or “Mrs. Deborah Downer” are the same ones he tackled. Part of why that’s so clear is the bounty of clearly drug-influenced work that the fanbase has access to, be it his struggle with losing innocence on Macadelic, thoughts of disillusionment played out with Watching Movies With The Sound Off, or the culmination of all of these darker thoughts on the ever-influential Faces.
Yet even if the then-22-year-old isn’t shy about his issues, it provides a complex give-and-take with his nimble, often fantastical lyricism and earnestly questioning nature. Maybe the best example of this push-pull is “Shangri-La,” beginning with some whimsical free associations, continuing with a nod to the spiritual (I was drivin’ up to Shangri-La to get my meditation on), and rounding out with echoing some sage advice (it’s just a rule to follow / live today ’cause you can lose tomorrow.)
Delve deeper into the tracklist for more of the “wondering out loud” that provides the sentimental center of the record, including an extended meditation on life and death with “Funny Papers,” doubling as one of the cheerier pieces of production on the whole tape. Again, Miller’s propensity for the abstract proves to be a massive strong suit, be it on the word association in the hook (if I could pay my bills by Tuesday/could I get rich by April Fool’s Day) or the vivid imagination in describing the lives of total strangers in the verse sections.
In All, Balloonerism Is An Unflinching Celebration For The Life Of Mac Miller
Identifying these themes as an outside listener or member of the fanbase is one thing, deepening the explorations we got at the time and further shining light on Mac’s personal journey. However, we should spend a second on the estate, the primary driver behind the release of Balloonerism. With previous reports confirming that Mac’s closest family have been the people most involved with handling posthumous releases and his likeness, there’s unquestionable bravery and steeliness in doing so. Again, while the fanbase can feel a parasocial and artistic loss, it’s nothing compared to what his loved ones suffered — their willingness to let loose a project where he’s so clearly fighting through issues that eventually led to his passing is nothing short of heroic.
Paradoxically, if you have the level of fluency in the life and times of Mac Miller likely necessary to check this project out it becomes a more challenging listen as a result. Yet even the more challenging moments cast into light how creative a mind Mac Miller was, and though Balloonerism may not have the blue sky aftertaste that Circles did, those reminders make it a must-listen all the same.
Check out Balloonerism and the full Mac Miller backlog on streaming platforms everywhere.
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