Everything We Know About Mac Miller's 'Balloonerism'

Mac Miller’s long-awaited lost project Balloonerism is just days away from its official studio release, which comes over a decade after its creation.

Written and recorded primarily in 2014, Balloonerism marks the musician’s second posthumous LP and is set to arrive this Friday, January, 17: two days ahead of Mac’s 33rd birthday and exactly five years since the release of his first posthumous album, Circles.

Backstory

Referred to as Mac Miller’s “lost project,” Balloonerism is not, by any means, new. The project was recorded between 2013 and 2014, in between Mac’s Watching Movies With The Sound Off album and Faces mixtape. Genius indicates, per Mac’s close collaborator E. Dan of ID Labs (in a now-deleted Reddit comment), "pretty much all of the songs you all know as Balloonerism were made inside of a week stemming from what was basically jam sessions… he did indeed move on from it, took a few of the songs for Faces and never got back to it."

Rollout

Fittingly enough, Balloonerism was soft-launched at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival this past November; Mac performed and supported the Tyler, the Creator-helmed festival year after year. Merely previewed with the cover art and a brief audio snippet, Balloonerism was revealed to be released in some capacity in a two-and-a-half minute video between Sampha and The Alchemist and Friends’ set. "Soon," it read as "5 Dollar Pony Rides" played in the background.

The official Instagram account from Mac’s estate @92tilinfinity took to Instagram a few days later on November 21 to confirm the release. "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 explains. "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 circulated 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."

Tracklist

Balloonerism’s tracklist rounds out at 14 songs that have never been released on streaming services prior. Led by one pre-release single, “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” Balloonerism is mostly a solo effort from Mac, with just one feature coming from longtime friend and collaborator SZA.

1. Tambourine Dream
2. DJ’s Chord Organ – feat. SZA
3. Do You Have a Destination?
4. 5 Dollar Pony Rides
5. Friendly Hallucinations
6. Mrs. Deborah Downer
7. Stoned
8. Shangri-La
9. Funny Papers
10. Excelsior
11. Transformations – feat. Delusional Thomas
12. Manakins
13. Rick’s Piano
14. Tomorrow Will Never Know

Mac x SZA

Mac and SZA share their first-ever collaborative studio release with “DJ’s Chord Organ,” a byproduct of years of friendship and unofficial collaborations. Mac also offered his production hand to a handful of cuts on SZA’s X. “DJ Chord Organ,” per Josh Berg in Donna-Claire Chesman's book The Book of Mac: Remembering Mac Miller, "was made using the chord organ of singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston" garnered by Mac after becoming an executive producer of Johnston’s biographical film Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston? With production and contributions also coming from Thundercat, the track was initially referred to by SZA as “The Song That Changed Everything.”

Other Notable Tracks

While none of the tracks have been officially released yet, most of the now-confirmed Balloonerism tracks have surfaced in some capacity online before. Kicking off with “Tambourine Dream,” the album presumably opens with a 30-second tambourine interlude. Assumed to be Mac playing the instrument, “Tambourine Dream” is just one of Mac’s tambourine-riddled offerings from the time – “Angel Dust,” “Bird Call” and “Malibu” included. Other long-awaited leaked tracks – ”Funny Papers,” “Mrs. Deborah Downer” and “Thundercat offered his production hand to a selection of the LP’s songs such as “Friendly Hallucinations” and “5 Dollar Pony Rides.”

Rick Rubin

Mac spent a significant amount of time around Rick Rubin during the latter half of 2014, with two cuts from this time landing on the studio edition of Balloonerism. “Shangri-La,” likely recorded in the Summer of 2014, is presumed to have been recorded at Rick Rubin’s Malibu, Shangri-La studio. Towards the end of the album is “Rick’s Piano,” which, according to Genius, was initially entitled “Rick Rubin’s Piano.”

Who is Delusional Thomas?

Listed as the second “featured” artist is Delusional Thomas: one of Mac’s alter egos that he embodied for his 2013 Delusional Thomas mixtape. The project – released for free as a digital download – saw the rapper lean into darker themes and topics. “Transformations” marks the first time Delusional Thomas is officially credited on a Mac Miller track.

The Cover Art

The cover art for Balloonerism all transpired from an Instagram post. Surrealist artist Alim Smith shared a self-portrait he painted on his feed, on which Mac commented about a month before his death “Need this.”

The Film

Ahead of the album release, a corresponding film entitled Balloonerism: A Film Based On The Album By Mac Miller will screen in a handful of cities around the world – including the musician’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hometown. Directed by Samuel Jerome Mason – who also directed Mac’s "Colors and Shapes" video – the "companion film" is an animated one, and draws direct influence from the project’s lyrics. Per the film’s official website, it "follows a group of school friends who are transfigured by the music of a chord organ and launched into a shadow world. Swallowed by the turtle of time, they must plod through the underbelly of adulthood."

Expect Mac Miller’s 'Balloonerism' to drop on streaming services everywhere on Friday, January 17. Check back in when it arrives.

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