Mac Miller is dealing with the aftermath of break-up. Ariana Grande is going through it too (albeit, more quickly), while being accused of being dismissive of Miller’s noted history of drug abuse. Last week, Mac was arrested for a DUI. This week, Ariana and her new boo, SNL’s Pete Davidson, posted some innocent pictures of themselves engaging in Harry Potter cosplay. The optics are already super messy and the real story behind their break up has yet to be aired out. Amidst all this drama, it only makes sense for Mac to be drawn back to his art, his first love, in an attempt to reconnect his fanbase.
Looking back, his hiatus of sorts after 2016’s The Divine Feminine may not have been by choice - personal strife and romantic turmoil could have definitely been a key factor in his decision to stop pulling back the curtains every few months for a new music video, or single, or mixtape. After the cultish following Mac Miller received for his psychedelic-driven run of projects in 2013 - Watching Movies With the Sound Off; Faces; Delusional Thomas - the increasingly shy rapper started to draw back from the public eye. 2015’s GO:OD AM, which was filled with features from the likes of Miguel to Little Dragon, and sought to position him as an industry staple, had a muted impact upon reception. Still, it teased the artistic progression that was going to be fully expressed on The Divine Feminine, making it an understated entry into in his discography.
At the time, his relationship and pop status alongside someone of Ariana Grande’s stature had started to overshadow his own work. However, Mac did not allow this to prevent his self-expression. Instead, he even took this period of wavering focus from the public eye in order to truly experiment with his style. Since the start of his career, no matter what Mac Miller has set his mind to, he has pursued it with vigor and precision, much to his credit. And for the left-field fusion of The Divine Feminine, he rightfully branched out and recruited the likes of Robert Glasper and Thundercat to help add the necessary flourishes to his art.
Mac’s last project leaned heavily into jazz and funk influences, sounding more like Anderson .Paak’s Malibu than the MF Doom fanfiction he was writing just a few years prior. And, as of now, he doesn’t seem sure of what direction he wants to take his next full-length. But there is an assured cool about these three new tracks that’s exciting. With these songs, Mac seems to be crawling back into himself, and his humble grassroot origins, while still toeing the line between his old flavor of rapping and fresher, more enticing ingredients.
A wounded soul at the moment, Mac Miller’s next album will undeniably have to play the role of therapy, if not for him, then for his fans. The following songs each highlight a distinct facet of his growing artistry as he tries his hardest to entice new fans in the wake of increased press, similar to Young Thug's own efforts with his Hear No Evil EP earlier this year. Both offer three neatly packaged appetizers to satiate longtime fans, while going out of their way to emphasize the artist's own versatility.
Read on as we review each record.
"Programs"
"Programs", produced by CuBeatz and one of the industry's best kept secrets, CardoGotWings, is Mac's re-introduction to the world. The first verse and hook sounds love-scorned, for sure, but before long, the song is just a series of empty-but-triumphant one-liners. The production, a wayward string-riddled beat, makes an exciting record, but in terms of the rapper's part, it's the weakest of the three, with Mac merely flexing an assortment of older Kendrick Lamar flows. It could be purposefully low-stakes, in that it sets the bar at a reasonable level for fans that may have been weary of the artist's state of mind post-break up, or, from another perspective, it's an easy way to dive back into the Mac Miller sound. At the very least, Mac seems comfortable in his solitude.
"Small Worlds"
Continuing the flavor led by Cardo, "Small Worlds" sees TDE associate Tae Beast on the boards. Together, along with - *checks credits* John Mayer on guitar, they create a hazy, slower instrumental with a perfectly unassuming groove for Mac's cheeky navel-gazing. You get the sense that Mac knows he's being flippant, giving a surface-level reading of his current situation, when he raps, "I know I probably need to do better/Fuck whoever/Keep my shit together" right before confessing, "You never told me being rich was so lonely/Nobody know me." But it's so god-damn endearing.
Building on the trippy vocal intonations found towards the end of "Programs," "Small Worlds" sees him play with a nasally singsong flow. If the first song was his ego, this is his super-ego; where "Programs" was a motivational rebuke of criticism, this is him admitting guilt the only way he knows how.
"Buttons"
That brings us to the Id - the intangible impulse that drives all of us to our true desires, often at the cost of those around us. On this fully realized closer, Mac welcomes us to his personal Doomsday - a series of miscommunications, long nights at the studio and forced, materialistic, gratification.
"Goddamn how the mighty will fall, they wanna see me gone/But I'm here in spite of it all, I never play along," he raps, advising us to keep our self-pity to ourselves. Stylistically, it's a great middle ground for those that aren't drawn to his more strained experiments. It's straight-forward, self-aware, defiant rapping over a smooth, piano-driven instrumental. It's not "Diablo," but it's close.
Out of all this, we get the sense that Mac knows he's onto something new, something more empowering than his past work, and we're more curious about his direction than ever before.
Out of the three songs, which is your favorite? Let us know what you think in the comments.