Balloonerism offers a poignant glimpse into what Mac Miller could have become if given more time.

Usually, a posthumous album tends to be a finished version of whatever the artist was working on at the time of their death. This was the case for Eliot Smith with From a Basement on the Hill, Tupac’s Makaveli, and, in 2020, Circles – a Mac Miller album released two years on from his passing. Balloonerism is another posthumous release from Mac, but what sets it apart is the fact that it was recorded all the way back in 2014, around the time his Faces mixtape was released. Fortunately, due to the respectful, careful handling of his estate, this project has finally been mixed and now sees the light of day. And despite being over a decade old, it might be the most ambitious work of Mac Miller’s career.

It's easy to assume that posthumous releases will just be a collection of B-sides – things that didn’t make the cut, that the artist didn’t care about as much as their other releases. But it appears Balloonerism always had a special place in Mac Miller’s heart. “It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm,” reads the statement on @92tilinfinity, the account responsible for Mac’s estate, “to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent releases ended up taking precedence”. Pair that with the short film of the same name (currently screening at a handful of sold-out locations, and available on Prime) and it becomes clear that Balloonerism was a unique, multifaceted vision.

The album acts as the film’s score and soundtrack, opening with strange and slightly unnerving instrumentals. It’s a while before you hear Mac’s voice, but once he arrives you’re reminded of why his music resonates with so many. His trademark layered vocals on the hooks are as calming as ever, the bars thoughtful and flowing. But there’s an extra poignancy to Balloonerism, not just due to the nature of its release. While Mac has never been afraid to tackle his demons through his art, he seems to be pondering life and death more than usual here. On ‘Rick’s Piano’ – a nod to Mac’s time spent in recovery at Rick Rubin’s house – Mac asks over and over, “What does death feel like? Why does death steal light?”. There’s an optimism to his existentialism though, as Mac rightly suggests, “The best is yet to come”, evidenced by the critical acclaim that every release in the latter half of his career received. 

‘Funny Papers’ is another piano-led track, guaranteed to have Macheads misty-eyed right from the opening line, “I thought nobody died on a Friday” (September 7th 2018 was a Friday). This song might be the album’s highlight, as it showcases so much of Mac’s appeal. It’s at times deep and moving, with Mac flexing his storytelling capabilities, then all of a sudden you’re laughing to yourself at the surreal lines on the hook (“The moon's wide awake, with a smile on his face / As he smuggle constellations in his suitcase”). It’s a testament to Mac’s prolific work rate that, even now, he’s adding instant classics to his hit-list.

There’s a dream-like quality to Balloonerism, with fittingly floaty instrumentals throughout to compliment the bizarre album art. Mac’s talent as a producer sometimes seems to get overlooked. For this project, he teamed up regularly with Thundercat and Taylor Graves, and according to recording engineer Josh Berg, a lot of their jams and improvisations made it into the finished tracks. An echoey, nostalgic sadness is there throughout the record, but Mac still finds room to exercise his chill, playful side, especially on the jazzy single ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’. 

Despite the dark subject matter, his music has always had a child-like, coming-of-age feel to it, all the way back to 2010’s K.I.D.S. ‘Excelsior’ has Mac reminiscing on the days when “your only enemies were Brussels sprouts and spinach”, and asks “whatever happened to apple juice and cartwheels?”. Diehard fans will get a kick out of seeing Delusion Thomas – the alter-ego Mac adopted on the 2013 mixtape of the same name – finally get his first credit on a studio album; he breaks the tension on ‘Transformations’ with lines like “Your bitch like a bad fart, all she do is linger”. ‘DJ’s Chord Organ’ – the tune that sets the tone for Balloonerism – was made using an organ that previously belonged to the late Daniel Johnston, which Mac acquired in 2013 after becoming an executive producer of Johnston’s biographical film Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston? (Mac also contributed $10,000 to the film’s production).

Similar to Johnston, Mac is wrestling with some mental torment and exploring it through his music – in a video with Fender, Mac said how “it's nice not to talk to describe how you're feeling”. This leads Balloonerism down experimental paths, such as the haunting, almost 12-minute long closer ‘Tomorrow Will Never Know’. Rarely has Mac explored sounds like this in his discography, which may have played a part in the decision to delay the album’s release. Perhaps Mac was unsure how his fanbase would react to this shift away from his usual style, but instead – as a fan on Reddit put it – it’s more like “a little glimpse into what Mac could've become if he was given the time”.

“Everything quiet but the music”, Mac Miller says on ‘Funny Papers’. This captures the impact his songs have, how they continue to speak to so many people all these years after his death. A quick look online will bring up countless messages of thanks from fans, who have relied on Mac’s music to tune out the noise of life and cope with their struggles. The recent Balloonerism film screenings have acted as a chance for the fanbase to once again gather together and celebrate him. It's clear that Mac meant a great deal to not only the people closest to him, but also the people he met and worked with throughout his career; SZA, who provides one of the few features on the album, described him as a “forever genuine friend… and the first person to believe in me”. Balloonerism looks to be his final salute, and although there are undoubtedly some parts that are raw and unpolished, it feels like the perfect way to round off his legacy. #92tillinfinity.