“If I die young , promise to smile at my funeral,” Mac Miller sings on “Balloonerism,” his second posthumous album, released on Jan. 17, seven years after his death in 2018.

“Balloonerism” was largely created and recorded in 2014 — around the same time as his album “Faces,” which was released  in May 2014. Even so, this album has been looming over fans for years. With leaks and snippets of the songs surfacing on the internet on platforms such as SoundCloud and YouTube, fans had some ideas of what might be on the album. 

On the fifth anniversary of Miller’s first posthumous album, “Circles,” fans got the official, high-quality version of “Balloonerism.” With features from artists like Dylan Reynolds and SZA, some fans are saying it is his best work. 

The album opens with an unusual 33-second track titled “Tambourine Dream,” featuring only the sound of a tambourine with no vocals. The experimental and unusual sound draws listeners into what is to come next.

Next is a track titled “DJ’d Chord Organ (feat. SZA).” This track opens with soft and nostalgic notes played on a chord organ. It isn’t until 53 seconds into the song that we get the hard-hitting vocals of SZA and Miller, unfolding the story of someone in a panicked state running away. 

The track “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” released as a single, is a more playful listen. The upbeat jazz-funk sound makes this song about fleeting pressure catchy, but the lyrics are still deep. Miller talks about the back-and-forth between him and a girl, saying “Let me give you what you want, ooh and maybe later, what you need.” 

He continues explaining how they are just wasting each other’s time while reminiscing over memories they share, like kissing underneath the rain clouds and staying out late. 

A standout track is “Stoned.” In this song, Miller is telling someone a story about a girl he knows who uses marijuana to escape reality. Miller sings about how she is depressed, watching sad movies and getting lost in her thoughts. Without the power to help her, he joins her in her sorrows and they get “stoned” together. He sings about things that he notices about her, saying “she hates that she cries when she’s all by herself, and she is always all by herself.”

What makes this song stand out is the layering of sounds. Miller sings lyrics followed by other people’s comments to the story like “no way” and “always.” Another example is when he talks about how she locks herself in the bathroom and you can hear the layered sounds of him knocking, trying to get in.  

Many of Miller’s albums have underlying messages of death and drug use, as Miller has always been open about drugs, addiction and their effect on his life. For example, the song “Mrs. Deborah Downer” refers to downer drugs, and in the album “Faces,” made around the same time, the first track opens with the line “Shoulda died already.” 

Since “Ballonerism” was released after his death, many lyrics have had an impactful message on the fans’ listening, as they mirror Miller’s death of an accidental drug overdose. One lyric that was shocking to hear was on the track “Funny Papers.” Miller sings, “Somebody died today. … Didn’t think anybody died on a Friday” and Miller died on a Friday at the young age of 26.

Posthumous releases are not uncommon in the music industry, with albums like Amy Winehouse’s “Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” Jeff Buckley’s “Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk” and Selena’s “Dreaming of You.” However, this can be controversial as record labels continue to make money off of artists even after their deaths. 

On one side, the fans of these artists would love to have more music and continue to appreciate their sound. Others argue that music released posthumously is unethical because the artist should have full consent and knowledge of what is being put out in their name. 

After Miller’s death in 2018, his estate has been in the hands of his mother and brother, who authorized the release of the album.

According to the Instagram account @92tilinfinity run by the owners of his estate, Miller’s mother and brother said in a post “Releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expresses being important to him…We [owners of his estate] believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist.”

Shaurya Thummalapalli, a freshman at Palo Alto High School, said he thinks that the release of “Balloonerism” was a good addition to Miller’s discography, even if released after his death.

“Their label just uses them for money,” Thummalapalli said. “But I feel like Mac Miller’s label is really just putting out music for the fans.”