Faces by Mac Miller | Album Review
Revisiting the 2014 magnum opus that transcended Mac Miller
On October 15th, 2021, Mac Miller’s acclaimed 2014 mixtape Faces made its way to streaming services. To some, this release will be like taking a trip down memory lane, to others this will be a first-time experience. Regardless of where you fit, Faces is an album that transcended Mac Miller beyond what anybody could think of.
Considered by many to be his magnum opus, Faces is undoubtedly the quintessential Mac Miller album. The project where Mac becomes wholeheartedly honest with his listeners. Characterized by its eccentric production, its dark and personal lyrics, Faces brought us into the mind of the 22-year-old rapper. It’s an album that has taken on an entirely different meaning since his death in 2018 and serves as a reminder of just how talented he was as an artist.
Produced by Larry Fisherman
Faces builds off of the sonics of 2013’s Watching Movies with the Sound Off, where Mac carved his own lane away from the frat-boy aesthetic and into the realm of introspection. Produced by him (under the moniker “Larry Fisherman”) and other artists like Thundercat and 9th Wonder. The sound of Faces is to this day, nothing like I’ve ever heard before, and would act as the foundation for Mac’s style for years to come. The production is composed of contemporary rap, with boom-bap beats, with an emphasis on jazz influences. A bigger component to Faces is the use of more psychedelic instrumentals. Considering the album’s focus on Mac’s drug habits, it makes a handful of songs seem like drug-induced benders filled with dark moments of reflection.
The instrumentals on Faces exemplify this further by constantly shifting. For every high such as the horn-inflected opener “Inside Outside”, there’s an equally depressive low like the funeral-organ inspired “Malibu”. Mac’s experimentation as a producer truly shines here and showcases him breaking free from his comfort zone of hip-hop and into the realm of R&B with “Colours and Shapes”, and alt-rock on “Yeah”, a bonus track exclusive to this re-release.
What are you afraid of? It’s just a little angel dust
“I was not on planet earth when I made Faces. Nowhere close.”
The above quote is a now-deleted tweet Mac made in 2017, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. Thematically, Faces revolves around Mac’s drug use, the mixtape’s title and cover art seemingly refer to it, visualising faces or other things that aren’t there during a psychedelic trip. Mac contemplates loneliness, fame, and, his own mortality throughout the mixtape.
His demeanour throughout the album is regretful. Whereas other hip-hop albums such as the codeine-induced anthems by Future celebrate drug use, Faces doesn’t. The mixtape heavily focuses on the aftermath. When reality starts to settle in, coming to that realization that you are stuck in a vicious cycle of addiction.
Following its release, Mac eventually sobered up with the help of Rick Rubin and was the subject of Fader’s 2015 documentary Stopped Making Excuses, focusing on Mac’s life leading up to his next album GO:OD AM.
Mac bares all for those to hear. With 25 songs in total, Mac has a lot to say. In lieu of covering every single song, I’ve picked 4 that best depict the themes of Faces, while also showcasing Mac’s ability as a rapper and storyteller.
“Friends” feat. ScHoolboy Q
“Friends” illustrates Mac’s current lifestyle. He gives a vivid description of his situation and mentality with lines such as: (“Snowflakes keep fallin’ on my expired debit cards. Don’t know why I’m still awake, gotta be up by 10 tomorrow.”) All the while making clever one-liners. ScHoolboy Q provides adlibs on the chorus, mocking Mac in a devilish tone, it’s a representation of his addiction taking over his relationship with his friends as ScHoolboy Q states by the end of the song: “These are my friends”.
“Happy Birthday”
“Happy Birthday” is a critique of the rapper lifestyle, and focuses on Mac’s loneliness. Setting the scene by describing a birthday party being thrown for him, Mac is aware that the people here don’t actually care for him, they’re just fake friends who want to use him for clout and to continue fuelling his drug habits(“They won’t notice if I never go and show my face. They just lookin’ for a reason they can celebrate.”). The chorus sarcastically repeats the traditional happy birthday song, but for Mac, it’s not so happy.
“Colours and Shapes”
The aforementioned “Colours and Shapes” takes place during a drug-induced trip. Mac describes the things he sees and hears during his hallucinations. He’s aware most might not understand what he sees, but his delusions encourage him to let go and fall. To “fall” in this sense mean to completely let go of all control and let his addiction consume him, to fall deeper into his psychedelic state and stay high forever.
“Grand Finale”
The final song on Faces, “Grand Finale” is the darkest song on the project, Mac’s torn between reality and his hallucinations as he questions who he really is. Mac is at an all-time low and begins contemplating his own death, with dreams of visiting his deceased grandfather and making preparations for where he wants to be buried. The song’s hook (“Let us have a grand finale, the world will be just fine without me”) is a double entendre that not only signifies the end of the mixtape but also Mac’s death by going out with a bang.
The Verdict
Overall, Faces is a tremendous project by the late rapper. At times it’s hard to put into words how well crafted the entire mixtape is. From the varied production that pulls from other influences to help create this unique sound, to its themes and lyricism that pulls listeners into Mac’s dark drug-riddled world. It’s quite surreal to hear Faces now in hindsight of Mac’s untimely passing considering the subject matter, but it’s a project that will forever be remembered.
My final rating for Faces is a 9/10. There are very few albums in hip-hop that cover drug addiction, and the negative/emotional side of it as well as this. If you are new to Mac Miller’s music, Faces should be the first project to listen to. It showcases Mac’s production style and storytelling perfectly and acts as a great segway into his other albums. For my recommendation, If you’d like to hear more of the psychedelic sound, 2013’s Watching Movies with the Sound Off would be the next album to listen to. If you want to hear something slightly more uplifting and contrasts from the dark aspects of Faces, 2015’s GO:OD AM would be your best bet.
