The now deceased Malcolm “Mac” Miller was an American singer and rapper who vividly demonstrated his emotions through his music. In August 2018, Miller came out with Swimming, an album that portrayed the emotions he was feeling after his breakup. Then a month later, at 26 years old, he died of an accidental drug overdose. This left the music industry and fans devastated about his death.

His posthumous album, Circles was released by his composer-producer, Jon Brion in mid January. He was extremely committed to finishing this album after Mac’s death. It is unknown how completed the album was at the time of his passing, but it seems devotedly complete. This album is almost a sequel to Swimming. He continues to sing straight from the heart to the point where his listeners can feel the direct emotions he put into his lyrics.

One of my favorite tracks is “Woods” because although it has a mellow instrumental start to it, it paints a picture in my head of things Miller was feeling personally. He says, “Hate love, heartbreak will have you bankrupt”. Miller shares his point of view on what love has made him feel like from experience.

The highlight of this album has to be the lyrics. All around, this is an incredibly constructed album that deserves all the attention it’s getting. Miller definitely knew what he was doing when he began creating this album, and it is a shame that he is not here today to watch his music grow into something amazing. If both Miller and Brion were going for the emotional, relatable vibe in this album, it was most certainly reached.

Another track I really enjoy is called “Blue World”. This song has more of an upbeat mood to it where he sings about fighting the negativity the world brings. He says, “The devil on my doorstep bein’ so shady/ Mmm don’t trip/  We don’t gotta let him in, don’t trip”. I really like this lyric because it clearly shows him rejecting any bad energy that may come his way.

Overall, Mac Miller is an amazing artist who successfully demonstrates his emotions loudly in lyric form. This  album could not have been put out without the help from his composer-producer, but never would have happened without the talent from Miller himself. As a whole, each track had a message in which his voice was heard clearly.