Swimming in Circles: An Album Review of Mac Miller’s Circles

By William Sun 12/3/21

(Mac Miller in his production studio photographed by Christian Weber)

Beautiful, enigmatic, and sad—these three adjectives embody the vibe of Circles, the album late
rapper Mac Miller was working on before he passed. Having grown up in the public eye both
musically and literally, fans have been able to see Miller’s progression from a corny teenage
White rapper breaking the mold in a genre dominated by Black artists to a musical mastermind
with his distinct, unique sound. The final project marked the growth throughout his brilliant
career and untimely death, solidifying his legacy within the rap community as one of its
derivatives but most capable artists.

Circles is particularly interesting as it presents an ominous, stark contrast between the upbeat
nature of his previous projects. Although dark, it’s clear that the album is the masterpiece
culmination of a career of ambition, self-reflection, and maturity: an appropriate addendum to
an aspirational life. Based on the review criterion of scrutinizing sound quality from a subjective
standpoint, the message behind the album, and its place in the larger context of the artist’s
career, Circles deserves a 9.1 out of 10.
(Cover of Mac Miller’s first breakout album, K.I.D.S from 2010) (Album cover of Circles for contrast)

Mac Miller began working on Circles after the release of his album Swimming with producer Jon
Brion. Circles was intended to be the companion album of the well-received Swimming which
touched upon sensitive topics such as the rapper’s secret struggles with mental health and
addiction along with his leaps in self-discovery and maturity that stemmed from his breakup
with American singer Ariana Grande. Although he was never able to complete the album, he
had worked on it enough to the point where producer Jon Brion was able to take on the
precarious task of picking up where Miller left off.

Swimming opens optimistically with Miller singing “I was drowning but now I’m swimming,
through stressful waters to relief” on the opening track. It’s evident by these lyrics that Miller’s
making efforts to stay afloat amidst his drowning troubles. However, listeners are urged to
question Miller’s optimism as he sings “my God, it go on and on, just like a circle, I go back
where I’m from” on the album’s final line. He hinted at the perpetuating nature of his troubles
despite his efforts to overcome them, causing him to revert to his original state of drowning. It
is within this unfortunate message that listeners are introduced to the link between Swimming
and its companion album Circles.

Alluding to the metaphor established on its predecessor, Miller leads Circles off by reinforcing
the idea of a vicious cycle, singing “I cannot be changed, I cannot be changed, no. Trust me I’ve
tried, I just end up right at the start of the line. Drawin’ Circles”. He notes that the action of
drawing circles metaphorically embodies the redundancy in his efforts to manifest change and
allows this innocent yet dark shape to echo. From the album’s first track where Miller highlights
the circular nature in clocks’ rotating hands to the album’s last track where he elicits the
circular nature of waking up and sleeping every day, the late artist seems to be stuck in a never-
ending cycle of helplessness.
Despite his internal struggles, Miller ushers in a refreshing wave of originality through the
unparalleled clarity with which he articulates his rough emotional waters. He provides critical
commentary regarding self-reflection on the track That’s On Me, owning up to ambiguous
mistakes he’d made throughout his life. He glosses over the difficulty for life-long addicts such
as him to change on the track Woods, singing “put it together then it break, all the energy it
take, it never stop”.

The refined sound Miller exhibits on Circles is indicative of his musical growth and the way he
frames hard topics speaks lengths of developments in his personal maturity. The overall sound
quality of the album was amazing, the messages behind its songs are meaningful, and no other
album could hold a more important place in the larger context of Miller’s career.

Circles garnered widespread critical acclaim upon its unexpected release years after Mac Miller
passed. Critics who reviewed the album touched base on an endless number of topics, ranging
from the way young artists’ careers escalate after they die to the way Circles tied into Miller’s
previous album Swimming. Contrary to how most talent agencies and producers milk money
out of the rapper’s name upon their death by releasing a messy barrage of mediocre records,
Jon Brion urged Warner Records to take their time to perfect the late rapper’s legacy.

(Producer Jon Brion on the left accompanied by interviewer Zane Lowe on the right)

In the context of his career, critics hailed Circles as “a proper, meant-for-release send-off, and a
swelling last will and testament”, noting that “anything released after this is just messy”. In
terms of musical quality and lyricism, critics noted that the album is “lush but also light in its
touch, as are the vocals, which unpack tough ideas in low, raw tones”. Miller always found a
way to deliver delicate yet powerful messages in his own original way.

On a personal level, critics commented on Miller’s bad habits surrounding substance abuse, an
addiction he constantly found himself falling into. Despite his addiction, critics thought that
Miller “was still idealistic; in these songs, he is searching for a way to break the cycle, a way
forward. It’s only appropriate that Mac Miller’s final musical act be one of self-reformation”.

Once compounded with its backstory and the circumstances under which it was released,
Circles speaks to hope for a resolution to an evil cycle, things that all human beings face in one
way or another. Go listen to its message which speaks to lengths about dealing with deep
issues.
References

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https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mac-miller-circles/.

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