Remembering Mac Miller with “Circles”

BY ERIN MATTHEWS

“There’s a whole lot more waiting for me on the other side.”

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year and a half since the world lost Malcom McCormick, known as his stage name Mac Miller, and his beautiful soul. I remember when I read the headlines, just two days before my own 22nd birthday, and feeling absolutely gutted. Mac was undeniably a musical genius, as his talent projected his rise to fame. He truly understood music and the emotions that it can evoke, effortlessly pairing beats and melodies with the right lyrics and tones. Not only was he insanely gifted, he was also incredibly down to earth and kind spirited.

Growing up as a teenager with big creative dreams, I always looked up to him and how he unashamedly chased after his dreams. It was devastating that his life was cut short, at only 26 years old. Before his tragic passing, Mac Miller was in the studio working on a follow up to Swimming, entitled Circles. Musician and producer Jon Brion was assisting him in the production. Mac Miller’s family, along with Brion, decided to honor his memory through finishing and releasing Circles as a posthumous album and legacy to Mac’s memory and career. Brion promised that Circles would be as honoring and respectful to Mac as possible, as he finished the record based upon time, conversations, and recordings that took place before his death.

The first single released for Circles is “Good News”, which came out on January 9,2020, along with video footage of Mac in the studio before his passing. The first time I listened to it, it felt so surreal to hear those familiar lo-fi beats and beach-y guitar riffs again, similar to what we’ve heard before yet completely brand new.

“Good news, good news, that’s all they wanna hear.”

The lyrics themselves are heartbreakingly haunting, with lines like “And all I do is say sorry, half the time I don’t even know what I’m saying it about.” It spurs listeners to wonder just what kind of demons Mac was facing and fighting to rise above. At the same time, melancholy lines are combatted by lines full of hope – “Well it ain’t that bad, it could always be worse” and “There’s a whole lot waiting for me on the other side, I’m always wondering if it feel like summer.” It’s a song of introspectiveness and hope for the future, invoking so many emotions as we remember his short but vibrant life and impact.

Circles was released in its entirety on January 17,2020 and it’s truly such a beautiful and honorable memorialization of Mac and his work. The theme of Good News – balancing the beauty and the bitterness of life – flows through all 12 tracks through Mac’s emotional words and tones, thanks to Jon Brion’s beautiful work in finishing the album’s production. I encourage you to give it a listen for yourself as a way to remember and celebrate the life and legacy of Mac Miller.

“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, at least it don't gotta be no more.”