Ballooonerism is Mac Millers’ seventh studio album and his second posthumous album since his tragic death in 2018. The album was recorded in 2014 but released in January of 2025. The album itself got great reviews and has 14 tracks that he recorded in his LA home studio. Millers music is a fusion of a variety of different genres like neo-soul, jazz, and psychedelic hip-hop. In Balloonerism, some of the collaborations are SZA and Thundercap. Some of the tracks that highlight Millers lyricism are “5 Dollar Pony Rides” and “Excelsior” which blend themes of childlike wonder.
Some critics state that Balloonerism for its experimental nature. The album discusses themes such as delusion, lost innocence, and morality which resonates a lot with Millers passing in 2018. A good example of this is “Tomorrow Will Never Know” which leaves a haunting impression with the unanswered telephone ringing.
With the album, a short 24-minute animated film was released on Amazon Prime Video as well. “Balloonerism: A film based on the album by Mac Miller” is a visual component that enhances the album’s qualities which leads fans to an immersive experience. The animation style is similar to Coroline’s and is described as “trippy” and “surreal”. Whats interesting is that no words are spoken aside from Millers vocals from the album.
