After an unreleased album from Mac Miller was teased during Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles this past weekend, his lost project “Balloonerism” has been officially announced, with a release date set for Jan. 17, 2025.
The two-and-a-half minute trailer, which showed on screens at Flog Gnaw between sets from Sampha and Alchemist & Friends, has been released on YouTube, featuring a series of animated vignettes before the album cover appears. The trailer features “The Song That Changed Everything,” allegedly featuring SZA, and “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” both of which fans have speculated were intended for the original album.
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Additionally, his official shop has been updated to include various formats for “Balloonerism,” including deluxe vinyl, clear vinyl, CD and cassette.
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In a statement released on Instagram, Miller’s estate explained that the album was created around the time of “Faces” and was a priority for the late rapper. “It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately ‘GO:OD AM’ and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence,” the estate said. “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing ‘Balloonerism’ was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present and official version of the project to the world.”
The album cover features an image of Miller painted by artist Alim Smith, who posted it to his Instagram page in Sept. 2018. A month prior, Smith posted an image in a similar style on Instagram where Miller commented, “Need this.”
“Balloonerism” has been the stuff of lore for fans of Miller, who died in 2018. Several songs assumed to be from “Balloonerism” have leaked over the years, as has a purported tracklist. In 2020, songs including “Do You Have a Destination,” “Uber” and “The Song That Changed Everything” popped up on the Internet, with SZA and Dylan Reynolds apparently featuring on a few of the tracks. On SoundCloud, Miller fans have assembled various iterations of “Balloonerism,” featuring additional songs “Colors and Shapes,” “Stoned” and “Tambourine Dream.”
Miller died from an accidental overdose in 2018. Two years later, his estate released the posthumous album “Circles,” intended to be a companion to his 2018 project “Swimming.”
