Mac Miller’s New Album Will Have Fans Floating on Clouds of Wicked Nostalgia

Nearly a decade after its creation, Mac Miller's second posthumous album Balloonerism delivers 14 nostalgic tracks, enriched by a stellar guest feature and an animated short film to bring it to life.

Cover Art by Alim Smith.

After being teased at OddFuture’s 2024 Camp Flog Gnaw festival in November, the album and trailer were officially announced soon after. This left fans itching to hear exactly what Mac Miller had been cooking up and waiting to release at the right time. After years of unofficial versions circulating online, the Mac Miller estate finally felt confident releasing the project, allowing it to breathe on his terms.

In a touching tribute on Instagram via @92tilinfinity, his estate confirmed that this project “was of great importance” to the musician. “We believe that the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness,” and that, it certainly does.

The protection surrounding this body of work is understandable — it is Miller to the core. In typical Mac Miller fashion, there are gorgeous hums of jazz, perfectly selected samples, cheeky instrumental quips, and improvisations, quirks that emphasise the rapper’s musical cheek and playfulness. There are exclamations of ‘Abracadabra’ on "Excelsior" (track 10) and cunning laughter that changes in pitch while the sweet sound of children on a playground ripples in the background.

The whole project feels like we’re falling through the rabbit hole until we reach Mac in Wonderland, except it has even darker twists and turns than what we’re originally used to. Although ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ is eventually reached, as sung about in "Manakins" (track 12), it’s not without journeying through calamitous terrain. This is what fans will appreciate about the late rapper-producer: a willingness to tap into the darkness rather than present everything as peachy and bright.

We’re also treated to soft and sultry vocals from singer-songwriter Sza, of whom Miller produced some of her earlier works. A longtime friend and collaborator, she features on track two, "DJ’s Chord Organ," introducing the album with a gospel-infused, hypnotic ballad that feels familiar, particularly of her 2014 Z EP, amping up the nostalgia. A feature from Miller's alter ego 'Delusional Thomas' also shows up on "Transformations" (track 11).

Despite the darkness that undercurrents this project, some songs offer light and humour; "Funny Papers" sounds like a steady drive down a sun-setting highway, aided by a floaty keyboard melody and a mellow bassline – but with slightly contradictory lyrics, a sonic manifestation of exiting the haze perhaps.

Musician Thundercat shines through on the album also. A consistent collaborator on this project, his notable swing rhythms with simmering cymbals and a dash of funk and neo-soul hit you immediately on tracks like "Friendly Hallucinations" (track five). ‘It’s only real if it’s real to you,’ echoes Miller and a gentler female vocal throughout the song, touching purposefully on the whimsicality - or rather, mind-bending - of this otherness he has curated. "5 Dollar Pony Rides" (track four), the album’s only pre-released single, is another that is very obviously produced by the pair, who were also longtime friends and collaborators and has resonated well with fans globally.

The album is brought to life in a 20-minute animated short film directed by filmmaker Samuel Jerome Mason, who also directed Miller’s 2021 Colors and Shapes video. The artist, known for creating worlds simultaneously oozing with childlike awe and unsettling familiarity, does so beautifully this time around. It’s clear there was no one better to capture this limbo and tango that Mac Miller so poignantly expressed through his music than Mason.

"Balloonerism" will undoubtedly hit a soft spot among Mac Miller fans. Though posthumous in its release, this feels like getting a front-row seat to his deepest reflections. It's a project with hidden gems, cheeky easter eggs and nods to a niche history of a life lived by Malcolm McCormick. It evokes a sense of apprehension and trust, peace yet doubt, and ultimately, longing. Nonetheless, this full-bodied album will sit high in his already-rich discography, reaffirming his incredible talent and gift for weaving rich, evocative stories. This is full. This is whole. And though I’d say, ‘Fly High Mac Miller,’ clearly, he continues to soar among us all.