Balloonerism, Mac Miller’s seventh studio album, and second posthumous album, exhibits the artist’s undeniable legacy of innovation and dynamism. As a project showcasing presumably his most experimental era, Balloonerism fills the room with psychedelic and otherworldly sounds following themes of memory, nostalgia, and discontent.
A tambourine instrumental fills the introductory track of Balloonerism; a sound also heard in Mac’s 2014 mixtape, Faces. The tambourine runs the entirety of the short thirty-three-second “Tambourine Dream,” before transitioning into “DJ’s Chord Organ (feat. SZA).” The album’s second track features a melancholic sound with SZA’s distinctive vocals over an uncanny beat. As the song’s sole verse, SZA addresses the growing dissonance between perception and reality as one engages with substance use.
In the ghostly “Do You Have A Destination?,” Mac articulates momentary wealth and fame as insignificant, with the song’s title as an interrogation of the superficiality of life. The next track, “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” is the album’s playful lead single expressing unfulfillment in a romantic relationship. The song’s smudged melody resembles uncertainty, layered with yearning and nostalgia, as the artist desperately grasps a fading memory.

With a return to the album’s familiar eeriness, “Friendly Hallucinations” discusses the dependence on drugs as escapism. Resembling elements from the earlier track “DJ’s Chord Organ (feat. SZA)”, the “friendly hallucinations” exemplify deceptive pretenses of the imagination. Moving into track six, “Mrs. Deborah Downer,” Mac jumps straight into the lofi-feeling beat. He emphasizes the impermanence of life, “Whatcha gonna do when the money comin’ slow?” and asks listeners to reflect on the temporariness of possessions.
“Stoned” possesses a mellow beat and a distinguishable guitar melody in its chorus representing a grapple with difficult struggles, depicted by a girl absorbed by the dejection in her life. Progressing into the next track, “Shangri-La,” Mac details change and conflicts with a personification of competing values against a tranquil beat. The track winds down then transitions into “Funny Papers.” The song starts with beautiful, melodic piano chords with a simple guitar and drum beat. Mac portrays life and death through the sad passing of a drunkard and the beautiful birth of a baby boy. He observes the fragility of life and the insincerity that fills it.

Track ten, “Excelsior,” illustrates the cruel transition from simple innocence into harsh cognizance with a scene of orphan children at the playground. From effortless happiness into painful apprehension, Mac embeds the bittersweetness of the passage into adulthood in the song’s hopeful and heartening beat. In contrast, “Transformations (feat. Delusional Thomas)” introduces Mac’s alter ego, Delusional Thomas. Using a pitched-up voice, Mac plays into the unease of the song and the edginess of his character who boasts throughout the track. The next song, “Manakins,” features an invigorating chorus that mimics the release of the artist’s internalized tensions. Then, in a void of pessimism, track twelve “Rick’s Piano” carries into it hope. The artist over a relaxed beat, speaks on suspicion of his own growing success, integrating concepts of death and the afterlife. Mac stresses the brevity of life and urges listeners to look optimistically into the future, “The best is yet to come.”
“Tomorrow Will Never Know” closes out Balloonerism with mystery and ambiguity. The track loops a dial tone, an automated voicemail, and children playing. The almost twelve-minute track evokes a feeling of dissatisfaction chasing a mirage. With intense feelings across fourteen songs, the theme is recurrent in “Tomorrow Will Never Know”, concluding the album with a provoking introspection.
Balloonerism, a project recorded by Mac Miller over a decade ago, reveals plenty about the artist’s contemplation of time and life. The entirety of this project from candid verses to pleasing instruments is wonderful, however, what transcends this piece of work isn’t solely Mac’s lyricism and artistry, but his eternal guidance through life’s pangs and hardships.