They say you can’t take it with you, but Mac Miller seems to be trying to do just that with the posthumous release of his mixtape Faces, originally released seven years ago. The new 2021 version is available on all major platforms, as well as vinyl. It is sure to become legendary as people pine for the artist who departed this earth too soon.
Faces by Mac Miller
Faces is a mixtape produced at the height of Miller’s career, full of deep, brooding sounds and dark foreboding. There are copious references to drug-fueled euphoria as well as the pain of addiction and more than one hint to death in “Funeral” and “Grand Finale,” as if the artist was already aware of his tragic fate.
The tape’s signature piece “Colors and Shapes” was even scripted into a music video. The surreal video features animated Mac Miller’s dog Ralph on a psychedelic trip through Wonderland. The pooch swims and flows through multiple dimensions, reveling in the “Colors and Shapes” implied by the music.
The 25 tracks take the listener on a journey into the depths of Miller’s mind and his struggles. It produces a clean and authentic sound ringing as accurately today as seven years ago. The album features an as-yet-unheard single entitled “Yeah,” which will give diehard fans a reason to re-visit the music. The tape includes collaborations with Earl Sweatshirt, Rick Ross, Vince Staples, and more. The project is far longer than a standard mixtape, but Miller never followed convention.
Mac Miller
During his brief 26-year lifespan, Mac Miller was nothing short of a legend. Miller’s life saw him skyrocket to fame at age 18 with the release of his “Live Free” hit single. For this track, he won a “Best Hip Hop Video” award in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He followed up with the successful mixtape K.I.D.S. and soon released another album Blue Side Park in 2011.
Image via IG @macmiller by @christaanfelber
His next project Watching Movies with the Sound Off, the artist released under Larry Fisherman’s alias, which he used extensively early in his career. Miller collaborated with such greats as Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, and more, eventually releasing his next albums: GO:OD AM, The Divine Feminine, and Swimming. The last of which Miller released just a month before his untimely demise of a drug overdose in 2018. The album topped out the charts and remained for 157 weeks on Billboard– one of the longest runs in history for such a project.
His team released Circles in 2020, making it the first effort in his afterlife. Mac Miller may be gone, but his brilliance and creativity continue to inspire.
