Circles by Mac Miller

Graham Craycraft

Circles is rapper Mac Miller’s sixth studio album and his only posthumous album. Miller died from an accidental overdose of various drugs in September of 2018 and left the rap world reeling. Miller has on multiple occasions risen above the shackles of his drug addiction only to fall back in. His 2015 album GO:OD AM spoke openly about his drug addiction and how he was scrounging for his place in the world without the use of dangerous substances.

There is a reason we have a full and completely recorded album from Miller after death. Miller’s estate says that he was working on Swimming and Circles side by side to create a package of albums with a “swimming in circles” concept. From what we know about Miller’s aforementioned drug use, addiction, rehabilitation and relapse, this is an appropriate and meaningful sentiment. Check out a short documentary on Mac’s rise out of drug use from Fader titled Stopped Making Excuses for more information on his battle with drugs. 

Circles was teased with one single fittingly titled “Good News.” I was not the biggest fan of previous album Swimming (not to say I did not enjoy it), but there were a few stellar songs on the album and as a whole it worked. Listening to the single “Good News” I knew that this work was going to be an excellent companion to Swimming. It is an excellent companion and generally just a better album than Swimming. The length was one of my main criticisms of Swimming and Circles is shorter by a full ten minutes. Some songs just went on too long or took too long to get going. This most recent work is punchy and invigorating on some songs and thoughtful and reserved (without going on and on) on others. 

“Blue World” and “Hands” are a tie together of new soulful Mac and classic rapping Mac. While songs like “I Can See” and “Everybody” are sung in a similar fashion to his previous work. Fans of Miller will find the same sort of double meanings and clever lines, but also deep and thought provoking lines such as “Why I gotta build something beautiful, just to set it on fire?” Referring to his ruined relationships and his fall from sobriety multiple times. The song “Circles” tells a brief tale of how no matter how hard he tries, he ends up back at the beginning of the circle. Regardless of what demons or hardships each of us carry this can be true. We fall back to where we never wanted to be, sinning in ways we swore we wouldn’t, disappointing people around us we promised we would never. 

Miller ends the record with a plea. “I just keep waiting for another open door/ To come up soon.” I remember thinking in Swimming that it felt like a goodbye. With huge crescendos and blasts of instrumental music it felt like the end of something great. I take it back. This truly sounds like an end. An end to great musician and one of the most talented lyricists in the rap and hip/hop genre. 

I love this album. It is beautiful and sad. I don’t love every song, but I love this record. 

Rest Easy Mac. Thank you for this last work.