There is something incredibly eerie and unsettling about listening to the music of someone who is no longer with us. The late Mac Miller’s “Balloonerism” is one of 2025’s first major projects, and is a 14-song collection created by Miller nearly 10 years ago.
Thanks to Miller’s estate, Miller fans and hip hop lovers alike were graced with his second posthumous album since his tragic death in 2018. This hour-long project is composed of songs that once lived as snippets and archived tracks, but hearing them in their final form is an experience that was worth the wait.
The bulk of this album dabbles in neo-jazz tones and experimental soul vibes. It tightropes along this narrow line of upbeat and somber, but knowing Miller isn’t alive to hear what could be one of his last full creations inevitably hangs a dark cloud over the project.
“Stoned” and “Shangri-La” deliver strong, back-to-back performances near the middle of this project. They are lyrical masterpieces that boast how vivid of a storyteller Miller was, but are drowning in the aforementioned experimental tones that make the duo’s 8-minute runtime feel like more than just a couple of songs.
“Stoned” is a tricky listen knowing Miller’s death was caused by an accidental overdose. The whole premise of the song is about getting stoned, with the outro of the previous song, “Mrs. Deborah Downer,” being a girl ordering an extensive list of drugs that played a part in Miller’s death. I’m not upset with how these songs play out, but rather curious as to what his estate’s thinking was for including these themes.
“Balloonerism” is a complete project that didn’t leave me begging for more. I can’t speak for diehard Miller fans, but for someone who’s only ever listened to him casually, I felt satisfied with the progression of this project. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but there is undeniably something for everyone.
“DJ’s Chord Organ,” one of the few songs with a feature, is underwhelming with SZA singing a couple decent verses, “Excelsior” is a fascinating ride that feels like a teeter-totter of highs and lows, and “Rick’s Piano” lets the listener in on Miller’s profound struggle with the concept of death (and yes there is a beautiful piano beat throughout, as the title would suggest).
Without any backstory or circumstances considered, this is a magnificent collection of songs. Now take all the lore, backstory and bitter realities into account, and what was once just a couple of songs from the outside is really an intricate piece of art.
It’s a peek inside the head of a musical genius who lost a gruesome battle with his own mind. The lyrics are confessions, questions and Miller’s mental warfare; the symphonies are imaginations, escapes and expressions that stretch far past the studio they were made in.
It’s a 12-minute journey – not a song – titled “Tomorrow Will Never Know” that tucks the listener into bed as “Balloonerism” wraps up. It sees Miller further grapple with death, and the only way to put it is that this song is incredibly haunting. The lyrics are sharp, kids’ laughs and screams echo in the background and the drowned out beat puts you into a foggy state of mind.
This final song is nothing short of a horror story, and for the final three minutes of this out of body experience a phone rings with no one there to pick up. A blunt reminder that the author of this hour-long story is gone. There were laughs, cries and moments where we pondered with Mac, but there’s no one on the other end of the line anymore. It’s dark and it’s harsh, but Miller wasn’t one to sugarcoat the battles he had to fight alone.
Steve Anderson 
Tony Le Calvez