Music
The Conflicting Realities of Mac Miller’s ‘Circles’
Exploring Mac Miller’s final two albums and his search for transformation
When rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Mac Miller tragically passed away in September of 2018, he had been in the process of working on a trilogy of albums. The first instalment, Swimming, had come out just a few weeks before his death, while the second, Circles, was released posthumously. Mac had discussed his mental health and personal life on previous albums, but Swimming was arguably his most personal yet, referencing his struggles with addiction and his low sense of self-worth. As he tried to overcome these issues while occasionally succumbing to them, Mac’s music reflects the contradictions and flexibility of this way of living in the album’s opening line:
My regrets look just like texts I shouldn’t send
Whether he opts for action or inaction, he never seems to wind up making the necessary choices to secure his happiness. The contradictions don’t end there, with Mac using this to summarise his difficulties with staying sober:
Yeah, oh, the things I’d do
To spend a little time in Hell
