Mac Miller‘s upcoming album Balloonerism has a release date — and it’s a nod to his previous posthumous effort Circles.
The late rapper’s family announced on Thursday (November 21) that Balloonerism will arrive on January 17, 2025, exactly five years after the release of Circles (and two days before what would’ve been his 33rd birthday).
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Mac’s family explained in a statement that Balloonerism was created in 2014 and “was of great importance” to the beloved Pittsburgh native.
“Many of Malcolm’s fans are aware that Balloonerism, a full length album that Malcolm created around the time of the release of Faces in 2014,” they said.
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“It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm — to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.”
The statement continued: “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have been circulating online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
Physical copies of Balloonerism are available to pre-order on Mac Miller’s website, ranging from CDs and cassettes to vinyl format. There’s also a limited edition deluxe vinyl boasting a 3D pop-up centerfold, fold-out poster and 32-page booklet featuring photos and lyrics.
Balloonerism‘s release was first teased this past weekend at Tyler, The Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, where a trailer (which can be viewed above) was premiered in between sets from Sampha and The Alchemist.
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The cinematic video features various animated vignettes and is soundtracked by two unreleased tracks: “The Song That Changed Everything,” which reportedly features SZA, and “5 Dollar Pony Rides.”
The album cover — an abstract, balloon-themed painting of Mac Miller — was done by Alim Smith, who posted a similar image on Instagram in 2018, just weeks before the rapper’s passing. Mac commented on the post: “Need this.”
In the 2022 book The Book of Mac: Remembering Mac Miller, the rapper’s longtime manager Quentin Cuff described Balloonerism as “very zany.”
“Mac and [engineer] Josh [Berg] were cooped up in the bottom studio [at Mac’s house in L.A.] They were cooking up very zany, otherworldly, weird creations. At the time, they really stood out, and people loved it,” he said in an excerpt published by Passion of the Weiss.
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“There’s that album, Balloonerism, that was probably made before Faces. A lot of it was supposed to be Faces, and then Balloonerism’s its own thing. There’s so many albums during that time that were in the thought process.”
