From “Swimming” to “Circles”, Mac Miller’s Consecutive Masterpieces
By Sophie Rosenblum, Managing Editor
On Jan. 17, 2020, Mac Miller’s posthumous album “Circles” was released. Prior to his untimely death in Sept. 2018, Miller had begun work on this project, pictured as a companion to his 2018 album “Swimming.” Working closely with Jon Brion, a renowned producer and composer, Miller outlined his vision and started with the album. By the time of Miller’s death, Brion was left with a number of nearly finished songs, Miller’s clear vision and encouragement to complete the album from Miller’s family.
The album opens with a melancholy bass line in “Circles”, setting a rhythmic heartbeat for the rest of the song. Straying away from Miller’s rap-driven roots, “Circles” walks the line between everything from electronic to indie singer-songwriter music. The overall feeling of the album is ethereal, with dreamy synth and rhythmic bass lines that carry through from song to song. This dreaminess directly contrasts with the lyrics, which are grounded and dark. From beginning to end, the album draws itself back to the topic of death, adding to the already eerie fact that these songs were created prior to his passing but released after.
As seen in “Swimming”, Miller tackles the idea of the cycles we find ourselves falling into time and time again. With his opening lines in the album’s namesake song, “Circles”, Miller says, “Well this is what it looks like/right before you fall/ Stumbling’ around you’ve been guessing your direction next step you can’t see at all”. This idea of finding oneself rendered powerless and stuck in the perpetual cycle of life, especially when combating mental illness, is threaded continuously throughout the album. A later song on the record, “Surf”, touches on depression as well with the lines, “Sometimes I get lonely/Not when I’m alone/But it’s more when I’m standing’ in crowds that I’m feelin’ the most on my own.” Here, fans get a look into the darker side of fame, specifically the isolation that comes along with the constant travel and tours.
Contrasting with melodic songs like “Surf”, there’s “Blue World”, the quick-paced third song on the record which has immediately caught interest from all fans alike. The song begins with a full chorus singing the lines,“It’s a blue world without you” before transitioning to the beat. The other song that rings reminiscent of his past rap, similar to “Blue World”, is “Hands”, a later song in the album with a catchy opening. Still, in “Hands” the typical hedonism of rap music takes on a different meaning as Miller tackles all of the habits that are slowly leading to his downfall.
Miller was the unique kind of musician that didn’t let musical genre or norms restrict his creativity. His rap reads like poetry, each line introspective and often heartbreaking. Between “Swimming” and “Circles”, he dances between moods, genres and styles seamlessly in a way that it still reads as one cohesive body of work. It’s tragic that his life and career had to end so soon and the world will never see what else Miller had in store. Nevertheless, he has left his fans with “Circles”, the kind of record that is unforgettable.