Posthumous Mac Miller Album Circles Coming Later This Month

Mac Miller’s estate posted a heartfelt announcement of the release of Circles, a posthumous album Miller was working on during his passing in 2018. The album is meant to be a companion piece to Swimming.

Swimming, which was released just a month before Miller’s death, was nominated for best rap album at 2019’s Grammys and was a tribute to L.A.’s alternative-soul scene. With elements of dancehall, trip-hop, funk and jazz, the album was largely infused with post-breakup realizations after Miller’s split from girlfriend and collaborator Ariana Grande, who chronicled her own breakup/grief process on last year’s Thank U, Next. Swimming single “Self Care”, which features additional vocals from Dev Hynes and J.I.D, later became his highest-charting song as lead artist, peaking at 33 on Billboard.

Given Miller’s state during Circles’ recording and his evolution on Swimming, it will be interesting to see how his brand of hip-hop is further elevated on the forthcoming album. Miller’s family’s message on Instagram alludes to the emotionally laborious task that went into finishing the album over the last few months.

Circles is set for release on Jan. 17.