Malcolm McCormick, also known as Mac Miller, had a rise in the music industry which followed a similar blueprint to other young artists of the 2010s. He came to fame at a young age with charting albums, and by the end of his shockingly short career, all six of his studio albums “debuted among the Billboard top five, plus a dozen or so mixtapes, four of them released before his high school graduation” (Kim). Although he only lived to be 26, the latter years of his life included risky habits of substance abuse. These habits led him to death by overdose in 2018, which put him in news stories along with other artists like Juice Wrld and Lil Peep. The end of McCormick’s career was a tragedy that devastated many fans who were feeling for his family while still hoping for more of his hit music. However, the end of Mac Miller proved not to be the end of his legacy. His family still releases music he recorded before his death, such as Circles in 2020 and Balloonerism as of January 17, 2025. Reflecting on McCormick’s life and discography, Balloonerism represents his spunk and spontaneity as it “was mostly created within a two-week long ‘jam session’ in March 2014” (Genius).
McCormick begins the album with a purely instrumental track named “Tambourine Dream”, only 33 seconds long. This song wasn’t particularly notable except for its smooth, carefree feel open to the record. Leading into “DJ’s Chord Organ (feat. SZA),” one of the longest of the album, repetitive chords feature ethereal vocals to introduce SZA’s verse which seems to represent what it feels like being in a relationship with an addict. McCormick likely related to these lyrics as he has spent time throughout his life juggling love and addiction. Up next, “Do You Have A Destination” brings an upbeat feel to the album, unless you look at the lyrics. McCormick shows his “spunk” with an energetic rhythm, but the lyrics represent a darker time in his life, stating that he is “rich” and “miserable” at the same time. McCormick uses “5 Dollar Pony Rides” as a kinder homage to his lifestyle, creating a storyline where he’s explaining to a girl that he’s interested in giving her everything that she wants with the help of his money and fame.
“Friendly Hallucinations,” track five, is a bit more monotone as it puts McCormick’s experiences with trying to decipher delusions and reality into a female character. In “Mrs. Deborah Downer,” more heavy-hitting topics are explored when McCormick starts to explain why he turned to drugs, looking for empathy from his listeners while he sings that “only at the lows” does he “chase that high.” He continues to use his next song, “Stoned,” to further develop the female muse that he’s been nodding toward in most other tracks on this album. In this one, she and McCormick seem to be in a happy, yet clouded relationship, where he just wants to admire her while she feeds into similar habits to his. This story is shown more in “Shangri-La” as the muse’s flaws start to be revealed. His time spent with her starts to feel trivial due to her lack of intellectual quality compared to her strive for money and marriage; “Just how super is a supermodel?”
McCormick does a complete 180 with “Funny Papers,” a track that highlights the sad realities of life in a more peaceful, calm tone. It’s as if he’s coming to terms with the disappointments and waiting for the moment that those pains no longer exist to him, which is a specifically heavy topic to listen to when considering his death. The tenth song of the album, “Excelsior,” is very raw and lacks production quality, which seems intentional based on the story it holds. It only spans two minutes and 23 seconds, but that time is spent reflecting on the simplicity of childhood and the lack of corruption that children are exposed to. McCormick reminisces on that time in his life, likely because his adulthood proved to hold hardships that were unbeknownst to his young self. The transition into track 11, “Transformations,” would be a bit shocking to the casual music listener. Transformations is heavily tuned to sound squeaky and faded, making more of a joke or experiment than a song, which is also seen in the confusing/silly lyrics.
McCormick uses “Manakins” next to convey his belief in fate and lack of fear in the inevitable; “Not scared of growin’ old and dyin’.” He tells listeners that god is the one who truly determines how things work out, so there’s no point in being afraid or trying to change paths/who you are. “Rick’s Piano” starts as a typical song written by McCormick, creating storylines and questioning facts of life, but gets eerie towards the end. He questions death in different ways about 12 times, which brings this album to a depressing close as Rick’s Piano is the second to last track. The finale of the album, “Tomorrow Will Never Know,” is almost 12 minutes long. The song holds dreamy chords and vague lyrics, seeming to replicate the story of life from McCormick’s eyes. The last line of Balloonerism leaves listeners with something to hold onto; “If you could make it go away, give you a chance to start all over.” He questions if he would give up his life for another chance at living, making others question themselves as well.
McCormick’s album, Balloonerism, represents different aspects of his life, such as childhood, love, fame, and substance abuse, and melds them together into one work. After listening to the full tracklist, Balloonerism isn’t just spunky, it’s raw and true to the artist. Easily played songs like “Stoned,” “DJ’s Chord Organ,” and “5 Dollar Pony Rides” help bring this album to a respectable seven out of ten rating, in my opinion. Experimental tracks like “Excelsior,” “Transformations,” and “Tomorrow Will Never Know” make this album difficult to play casually, but I appreciate the story. I would recommend this record to anyone who enjoyed McCormick’s other posthumous album, Circles, as it also has that unfiltered feel to it. Balloonerism can be found on most music streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music. Although McCormick’s life was cut short, just like many other young artists in the rap industry, his legacy lives on through his art.
Bibliography
Kim, D. (2022, January 17). The Too-Short Evolution of Mac Miller. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/books/review/mac-miller-paul-cantor.html
Balloonerism by Mac Miller. (2025). Genius. https://genius.com/albums/Mac-miller/Balloonerism
