Mac Miller’s Balloonerism Gets Amazon-Exclusive Vinyl Release

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Mac Miller‘s death cut one of the most unique careers in hip-hop tragically short, but the rapper’s deep library of unreleased music has kept his music alive. His first posthumous album, Circles, was released in 2020, and his latest album, Balloonerism, is out today.

The album’s tracks largely date back to 2014, around the time his mixtape Faces was released. Rough cuts of the album had floated around between Mac Miller fans for years, but this marks the first time many of these songs are getting an official release. The album’s release was first teased during Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw set, and his estate confirmed the release in November. The Jan. 17 marks five years to the day since the release of Circles.

To coincide with the album’s release, Amazon is dropping an exclusive vinyl LP pressed on green vinyl. The album is already the bestseller on Amazon’s Vinyl and CD charts.

To coincide with the album, Prime Video released a 24-minute short film. The short film “follows a group of school friends who are transfigured by the music of a chord organ and launched into a shadow world,” according to the synopsis. The film, helmed by director and visual artist Samuel Jerome Mason, will also play in select theaters, with US cities including New York and Philadelphia.

In Rolling Stone’s review of the album, Maya Georgi wrote, “Most of the album doesn’t feel linear enough to become infectious, but that’s really not the point of Balloonerism. Its strength lies in its ability to resurrect Miller’s philosophical questions about life and death, almost as a way to find answers about his own.” The album’s lead single, “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” features production from Thundercat.

The album’s rollout includes merch, with t-shirts and sweatshirts featuring the album cover, an all-over print t-shirt, and a poster and album inspired by the short film. You can check out the collection here, or see the pieces below.