Balloonerism is the seventh studio album by American rapper Mac Miller, and his second posthumous album following his death in 2018. The album was released by Warner Records on January 17, 2025, under license to Warner Records, exactly five years from the release of his first posthumous album Circles, and features guest appearances by SZA and Miller's alter ego Delusional Thomas. Initially, Balloonerism was constructed between 2013 and 2016, mostly amidst the production of Miller's studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013) and Faces (2014) but was scrapped in favor of other projects for years.
A neo soul, experimental hip-hop, and jazz-influenced album, Balloonerism showcases Miller's themes and lyrics on drug use, depression, death, and a longing for childhood innocence, in which he uses metaphoric lyrics and vague storytelling throughout the album. The album's style emphasizes a contrast between its bright tone and dark themes, in which the production gradually becomes darker near the album's conclusion. It is described as a transitional project in Miller's career, distancing from his earlier frat rap style and moving towards a more introspective approach with singing. Much of Balloonerism was finished within a week through jam sessions with musician Thundercat's involvement.
After it was scrapped, some of the album's tracks were leaked in 2020 by a Reddit user, which led various Miller fans to construct their versions of Balloonerism. In 2022, Miller's brother Miller McCormick began discussing with recording engineer Josh Berg and mixer E. Dan about the album's commercial release. In November 2024, Balloonerism was announced with a visual trailer screened at Camp Flog Gnaw. In promotion of the album, "5 Dollar Pony Rides" was released as its lead single, and an animated short film based on the album was released on the same day of the album's release.
Balloonerism was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, praising the album for Miller's introspective lyrics, emotional depth, experimental production, and its approach as a posthumous album. Commercially, the album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, earning 81,000 album-equivalent units. In addition, the album topped multiple Billboard album charts and peaked at number two on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Outside of the US, the album appeared in multiple album charts internationally. Balloonerism later received a nomination for Best Recording Package at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
In 2012, following the commercial success of his debut studio album Blue Slide Park (2011), Miller moved to Los Angeles. At the time, he had been criticized by hip-hop purists as a "wholesome white frat-rapper", and had done more than 250 shows from the age of eighteen to twenty-one. He decided to move to Los Angeles following a personal fondness for the city while shooting an episode of Punk'd. His residence in Studio City was later noted as a music studio for up-and-coming rappers at the time, including Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples, and Earl Sweatshirt.
After shooting two seasons of his MTV reality series Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family and leaving his contrast with Rostrum Records, Miller found himself in a reflective state according to record engineer Josh Berg. On June 18, 2013, Miller released his second studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off, marking a drastic shift from his frat rap days. He remained productive during the whole year, releasing Stolen Youth, a collaborative mixtape with Vince Staples; Delusional Thomas, a horrorcore mixtape based on his alter ego of the same name; and Live from Space, a live album from his tour.
In 2014, Miller released the mixtape Faces, recorded not long after Balloonerisms initial sessions, and was critically acclaimed for its themes of psychosis, addiction, and mortality, similar to the latter. Following the initial scrapping of the album, Miller added more singing elements to his work on The Divine Feminine (2016), continuing the approach on Swimming (2018) and the posthumous album Circles (2020). In September 2018, Miller died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 26, leaving behind various unreleased projects including Balloonerism.
Production
The period when Balloonerism was recorded is disputed. Some publications claimed it was recorded between 2013 and 2014, conceived amidst the production of Watching Movies with the Sound Off. Rolling Stone writer Maya Georgi stated that the album was recorded in the spring of 2014, while its liner notes list the recording dates as between 2014 and 2016 and was recorded at The Sanctuary in Los Angeles. Much of the Balloonerism sessions came from Miller's friendship with Thundercat, who shared similar tastes in humor and collaborated in a freewheeling, improvisational approach. Usually, a track from the album was finished within a day with little revision.
In the production of Balloonerism, Miller provided the tambourine on four tracks, drums on three tracks, and served as a recording engineer in two tracks. Thundercat worked on the majority of the album, providing bass in eight tracks and additional vocals on "DJ's Chord Organ". SZA provided additional vocals on "DJ's Chord Organ" and "Friendly Hallucinations". Jameel and Ronald Bruner provided keyboards and drums, respectively, on "5 Dollar Pony Rides". "Mrs. Deborah Downer" features additional vocals from Ashley All Day, and "Manakins" and "Rick's Piano" features additional vocals from Dylan Reynolds, with the latter involving guitar. Balloonerism was mixed by E. Dan and mastered by Mike Bozzi.
The album cover was painted by artist Alim Smith, which depicts an abstract portrait of Miller. Smith posted it in September 2018 following Miller's death. A month prior, she posted a similar painting, with Miller's response being "need this". Upon the album's release, Smith revealed that she was unaware that her painting was being used by fans on their own revisions of Balloonerism until after Miller's estate reached out to her in 2024.
Work with Rick Rubin By the summer of 2014, Miller was struggling with severe depression and substance abuse, which led him to collaborate with producer and record label founder Rick Rubin for help. Rubin later revealed that Miller called him while drunk on his way to a European tour, saying "Rick, dude, I'm fucked up, will you help me?". Miller went into sobriety during his time of making music at Rubin's personal studio. Two tracks that Miller worked on with Rubin appeared on the official release of Balloonerism. "Shangri-La" was likely recorded approximately during the summer of 2014 at Rubin's studio of the same name, while "Rick's Piano" was initially titled "Rick Rubin's Piano".
Additional perspectives E. Dan of ID Labs revealed his thoughts about the project in a now-deleted post, where he revealed that Miller made a track list and that the majority of the tracks from Balloonerism were made within a week consisting of jam sessions. Dan claimed that Miller took a few tracks for Faces and moved on from the project. He later addressed his fans that the artwork and track lists from online versions of Balloonerism were fan-made, adding that Miller made a few iTunes playlists consisting of the project and was left unfinished.
Quentin Cuff, who was Miller's best friend and former tour manager, briefly mentioned Balloonerism in the book The Book of Mac: Remembering Mac Miller (2021), and revealed that it was conceptualized before Faces. With Miller and recording engineer Josh Berg recording the project at The Sanctuary in Los Angeles, Cuff described their process as "cooking up very zany, otherworldly, weird creations" during a Passion of the Weiss interview.
Aftermath Following the album's production, Miller regularly gave discussions about the release of Balloonerism, though his other projects including GO:OD AM (2015) took precedence. In 2020, a Reddit user leaked tracks from the Balloonerism sessions, including "Do You Have a Destination", "Uber", and "He Finally Sleeps", and created a detailed timeline of the album's leaks. The user also discovered that the album artwork was commissioned from Alim Smith and that the domain name Balloonerism.com was registered in 2014. Many Miller fans made their own iterations of the album, including other tracks such as "Colors and Shapes", "Stoned", and "Tambourine Dream". In 2022, Miller's brother Miller McCormick, who helps manage the former's music following his death, began seriously discussion a commercial release of Balloonerism with Berg and E. Dan.
Music and lyrics Overview Balloonerism is a neo soul and experimental hip-hop album with jazz, psychedelia, and funk influences. Thematically, the album centers on Miller's drug use, depression, lost love, a longing for childhood innocence, and existential angst throughout the album. Using his philosophy about life and death while finding answers about it, the album's contrasts are used throughout by tapping into dark themes while presenting the concept in a "preachy and bright" tone.
Themes about drugs remain common throughout Balloonerism, where Miller uses metaphoric lyrics such as "Even pills turn the power, the world wanna crush you down", to parts where his delivery becomes more slurred and downbeat. He emphasizes vague storytelling, rhetorical questions, and metaphors that come off as blunt when relating to his personal struggles and death. Whynow writer Aaron Edwards metaphorically described the album's title to represent Miller's "euphoric state before his balloon is burst and he falls back down to earth." Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork reflected that the album still expressed a duality of happier themes from Miller's frat rap period while adding a more "lurid and dangerous" style with sadness.
Rolling Stone writer Maya Georgi described Balloonerism as sounding like outtakes from Watching Movies with the Sound Off and Faces. AllMusic considered it to represent a series of ideas that feel "both carefree and on the brink of implosion." Compositionally, the album's instrumentation features "heavenly hard samples and wistfully beautiful piano loops." "Woozy, electric guitar" and bass lines commonly appear in tracks including "Stoned", "Friendly Hallucinations", and "Mrs. Deborah Drowner". Georgi's consider the album's style as a precursor to Miller's funk-based album The Divine Feminine and the instrumentation of Swimming (2018).
Tracks 1–7
"Tambourine Dream" opens as a half-minute instrumental that features a mix of tambourines, maracas, and "distant skimming of drum skins". Progressing to "DJ's Chord Organ", the song begins with a sound collage in its first few minutes, which combines distant vocal harmonies with soft organ chords and building drums. In the middle of the song, SZA appears with a "strutting verse over a circusy organ riff". Featuring additional vocals from Thundercat instead of Miller's, the latter composed by using the chord organ of singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, initially under the title "The Song That Changed Everything".
On "Do You Have a Destination?", Miller brags about having "supermodels in his swimming pool" before admitting that he feels disconnected despite his success. The song shows a "daydreamy" approach with various additions such as ad-libs, background singing, vocal distortion, boom bap-esque production, and piano riffs revolving around the song. The next track, "5 Dollar Pony Rides", is a boom bap-esque song and a "groovy jam about a girl". Being introspective and emotive, Miller sings about "fleeting pleasures and loneliness" to a lover while yearning for a vacation. Rather than materialistic items, he wants to fill the woman's soul with "what she needs." The song concludes with "funky" basslines, soft vocals and soul intonations.