Mac Miller's 'Circles' is the perfect send off for the late star

On Jan. 17, Mac Miller’s family released an album he was working on before his death. It is 12 songs and 50 minutes long. According to his family, Miller wanted “Circles” to go together with his last album released before his death, “Swimming.” Swimming in circles was the concept. After he unexpectedly died in September 2018 of an accidental overdose, producer Jon Brion continued work on the album. 

For me, as well as many other Miller fans, “Circles” had to be great, because it was going to be the last new music from Miller. It is the final piece to his great legacy. While this may seem like an unrealistic goal, since the album was incomplete at the time of his death, the conversations Brion previously had with Miller paid off. The album does not seem unfinished; rather, all the sounds blend together to create the perfect ending to Miller’s musical career. 

His music and sound have come a long way since he started out as a classic rapper from Philadelphia, with his music and message changing as his life did. He started by producing a lot of party music, which then changed in his album “Divine Feminine,” because he had been dating Ariana Grande for some time. The slower album “Swimming” was released after their breakup and shortly before his death. Fans thought it would be the last music from Miller they heard. However, the single “Good News” that dropped early from his posthumous album “Circles” illuminated how difficult of a time Miller was having. Even though everyone wanted him to be ok, he revealed that it’s hard sometimes.  

For me, this album did not disappoint. Some of my favorite songs include “Hand Me Downs,” “Blue World,” and “Complicated.”