Will Mac Miller's Posthumous Album "Circles" Sound Complete?

Trace Alan Salzbrenner
Mac Miller singing on stage.
Mac Miller singing on stage.

When a posthumous album gets announced, a certain fear can unnerve fans of the late artist. It is the fear that the new album will sound hollow and unfinished. Mac Miller's newest album creates the same fear.

Shortly before the late rapper death, he had released an album called "Swimming" and, with such a close release to his death, was there anything left? Were the only leftover soundbites going to be scraps that Mac himself didn't like?

Luckily, the first single off the album can help determine that.

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On Friday, Mac Miller's family released a statement on the artist's Instagram that started, " Here we are. The act of having to write this at all feels surreal."

The statement went on to explain the concept of the album. " At the time of his passing, Malcome [Mac Miller], was well into the process of recording his companion album to Swimming called Circles. Two different styles complementing each other, completing a circle -- Swimming in Circles was the concept."

Mac Miller sitting in a studio.
Mac Miller sitting in a studio.

The post accompanied the release of the first single off the new album called "Good News" and showed the release date of the rest of the album, January 17th.

The song itself documents struggling with depression.

"Why can't it just be easy?/Why does everybody need me to stay?/Oh, I hate the feeling/When you're high but you're underneath the ceiling"

The hook of the song dedicates itself to expected happiness and also how even then, people aren't happy for you.

"Good news, good news, good news/That's all they wanna hear/No, they don't like it when I'm down/But when I'm flying, oh/It make 'em so uncomfortable/So different, what's the difference?"

Mac Miller on stage.
Mac Miller on stage.

The song then ends on a positive note. That maybe it doesn't have to be so bad, and maybe he can learn to be happy.

"I know maybe I'm too late, I could make it there some other time/Then I'll finally discover/That it ain't that bad, ain't so bad/Well it ain't that bad, mm/At least it don't gotta be no more"

The song sounds itself off nicely with a few "no more"s and settles peacefully. A perfect end to the piece.

All in all, the song is a gentle journey through a tormented mind.

One YouTube comment on the music video, a video that has two clips of Mac in the studio sandwiched around an animated tribute, said, "Its so comforting to hear his voice in a song we haven't heard yet..its almost like he is reassuring us that everything is gonna be okay. See you in the next life brother. Most Dope."

It is a song that reminds of the ease at which the late rapper could deliver such a hard topic. This song was definitely complete and the rest of the album will most likely feel that way as well.