On Friday, Mac Miller’s posthumous album “Circles,” was released.
Mac Miller became a household name in 2018. His career was on a steady climb, gaining more popularity with the release of each album — “Blue Slide Park,” “GO:OD AM,” “The Divine Feminine” and, of course, “Swimming” are some of the albums that made him a staple in the hip-hop world.
However, Miller passed away shortly after the release of “Swimming” in September 2018 due to a drug overdose.
“Swimming” and “Circles” were meant to be in conjunction with each other, based on the phrase “swimming in circles.” The former album was about Miller overcoming his problems in life — depression and addiction specifically. The two albums in conversation with each other show growth and maturity, demonstrating that he was still struggling but things were looking forward.
Miller garnered respect from the hip-hop community throughout his career, working with artists like Anderson .Paak and Thundercat. Over time, his lyrics and musical content matured with him as he got older. His first few albums and mixtapes were packed with songs about partying, smoking weed and making money. While the songs were fun and easy to dance to, his style became more sophisticated over time as he entered his mid-20s.
With “Circles,” the 12-song, 48-minute project, we see an even more introspective Mac Miller. It seems like the perfect album to close out on. Certain tracks and themes on the album seem especially sentimental, even eerie at times.
The title track is also the first song on the album. “Circles” opens up with a light guitar, a mellow instrumental plays throughout the whole track. There is no beat drop, no drums, just a quiet melody with Miller’s raspy voice slowly singing over it. The song is about stepping back and looking at his life, not really knowing where it’s going or what’s next. “Stumblin’ around, you’ve been guessing your direction / Next step, you can’t see at all,” he sings. The concept of circles on the song and album come up as a common theme of life being cyclical and not knowing how to break certain cycles.
The last lyric on “Swimming” from the song “So It Goes” reads “Just like a circle / I go back where I’m from.” This theme was intentional and the albums were meant to be in conversation with each other.
Musically, “Circles” is packed with a variety of songs, each one featuring a different style. The song “Blue World” has a chopped-up instrumental with a beat overlayed. Miller raps and sings on this track with retrospective lyrics. “It’s a blue world without you /It’s a blue world alone,” he reminisces. Listeners will likely assume that this song is about his relationship with singer Ariana Grande from 2016 to 2018.
This album is different than what early Mac Miller fans might expect — it’s slow, soft and introspective. It doesn’t come off as a rap album at all. But the project shows growth both personally and artistically, providing a vulnerable, in-depth look at the mind of the beloved artist.
