Mac Miller’s second posthumous album, Balloonerism, has arrived. After his tragic death by overdose in 2018, Mac left a huge impact on the rap and hip-hop scene, having become one of the most influential artists to ever exist. His first posthumous release, Circles, was a beautifully reflective album, very positively received by critics and fans alike. I listened to the album not too long ago and loved it. It’s not often that a posthumous release has this much care put into it, as sadly a lot of the time posthumous releases are mainly just for a cash grab. But that was not the case for Circles, and I’m happy to say it is not the case for Balloonerism either.

The album featured songs recorded way back in 2014. A lot of the album had been leaked in previous years, but are now fully produced with this release. It might be one of his most raw, vulnerable, and personal releases to date. We hear Mac talk about his struggles with addiction, which in 2014 were at a high. He pulls very few punches, both lyrically and musically. It dives into more of an experimental side of his discography, featuring jazz-infused hip-hop songs with very interesting progressions.

DJ’s Chord Organ featuring SZA serves as a great tone setter for the album, featuring very lush organs (per the title) and little lyrical content until we get to a small verse from SZA later in the track. Do You Have a Destination? is a more rap-centered track where Mac talks about how he gave so much of his life to the music industry and feeling miserable as a result, exclaiming “I gave my life to this shit, already killed myself”. This is especially hard to swallow knowing his eventual fate. In fact, a lot of the content on this album feels weirdly prophetic. It is almost chilling to read some of these lyrics.

Funny Papers is up there with my favorite tracks on the album, with lyrics talking about the temporary nature of life and how fleeting it is. A lot of the tracks on this album have a lot going on with the instrumentation, which I love, but I enjoy the stripped-down nature of this one, and the chorus is quite catchy.

Excelsior is a short track where we see Miller reminisce about the days of being a kid, having that sense of childlike innocence before the expectations of adulthood erode ot. He notes how a child’s biggest enemies are brussel sprouts and spinach, and ends the track asking “What ever happened to apple juice and cartwheels?” You can attribute this song to so many people’s lives, but especially for Mac, it hits hard knowing he had lost himself to the pressures of the music industry as time went on, losing the spark he once had. The longing in this track is truly heartbreaking.

Rick’s Piano is my favorite track on Balloonerism. Rick Rubin is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, and back in 2014 Mac visited his studio for the summer and received help with his addiction, going there to mess around on the keyboard and take his mind off things. This track talks about his time, with him, and on an album full of songs about addiction, depression, and loss, Rick’s Piano feels hopeful. The hook of the song features the lyrics “The best is yet to come” which feels very warm to listen to. The track closes out with the refrain “What does death feel like? Why does death steal life?” I think those lyrics speak for themselves.

Tomorrow Will Never Know is the final track on the album, standing at almost 12 minutes long. It is the most intense cuts here, as we see an internal dialogue with himself questioning what it is like to be dead. The refrain in the chorus sees him asking questions about people who have passed on. “Do they dream just like we do? Do they love just like we do?” As the song fades out for the last few minutes we hear the sounds of children talking and laughing in the background (a callback to the themes of Excelsior) and a constant phone ringing – a phone that never gets picked up.

Balloonerism was written during one of the darkest periods of Mac’s Life, and it is reflected in the songwriting. The dark lyrics juxtaposed with the oftentimes experimental jazzy instrumentation make for a collection of fantastic songs showing that Mac Miller still can leave an impact long after he has passed.

I give Mac Miller’s Balloonerism a 9/10.