After over a decade on the shelf, Mac Miller’s Estate has released his lost album of 2014: “Balloonerism.”

After Miller’s passing in 2018, his label and estate have worked their hardest to preserve his legacy while also releasing music that he would’ve wanted to see out. “Balloonerism” is 14 tracks and roughly an hour long, and each track manages to deliver an unforgettable performance.

Following his 2013 studio album, “Watching Movies With The Sound Off,” Miller wanted to go in a new direction for his music, sort of straying away from the pop/frat rap sound that took him into stardom. Recorded in early 2014, the album was completed and set for release, but arguments with his previous record label, Rostrum Records, about the marketability of such a dark project led to it inevitably being shelved in favor for a more lighthearted project in his 2014 mixtape “Faces.” Prior to his untimely passing in 2018, Miller wanted the album to come out, going so far as to commission the album’s cover art. In 2020, the album surfaced online with a 16 song tracklist, including early versions of the songs “Uber” and “Colors and Shapes” from his aforementioned mixtape “Faces.”

At the 2024 edition of the Camp Flog Gnaw Festival, an annual festival organized by famous rapper Tyler, The Creator, a teaser trailer for the album was played prior to The Alchemist’s set, and, following a few months of waiting, was released on streaming platforms on January 17, 2025. 

The album is by far Mac’s darkest. The dark production and introspective vocals mesh so well to create an eerie atmosphere that lasts the whole album. Mac Miller had a tough battle with addiction, which ultimately claimed his life. Addiction and substance abuse is the main theme of the album. Songs like “Stoned” and “Friendly Hallucinations” both take a deep dive into his drug use. Despite substance abuse being the main topic of the album, Mac doesn’t stray away from other heavy topics, such as isolation, love, trying to find a direction in life, and growing up.

Being only 22 while recording this project, Mac’s maturity and overall level of depth in his writing was so far ahead of its time. Track 10 “Excelsior” exhibits Mac’s songwriting ability perfectly. The song is about growing up and the fears that come with it, but Mac portrays that struggle with the image of kids playing on a playground, dealing with insecurity about social class and looks. It’s just one of many examples of his songwriting ability, but the star of the show is the production.