“Circles” is Mac Miller’s sixth and final album before he passed away at the hands of addiction. The album focuses on where he was mentally. A lot of the songs feel hopeful for change, which just adds to the emotions felt while listening to the album. This album is different from most of his previous projects, and that shows immediately.

12. “Complicated”

Miller wants to get through each day one at a time. He expresses his daily anxieties and how he feels about them, “Well, I’m way too young to be gettin’ old.” This track lacks emotional production and lyricism, and it just doesn’t connect like the rest of the tracks do. This feels almost like a filler track.

11. “That’s on Me”

“That’s on Me” reveals to us that Miller takes accountability for where he’s been mentally. It gets a little repetitive, and it doesn’t carry as much emotion through the music, but the lyrics pretty much speak for themselves. This track doesn’t stand out much and feels a little lackluster. Maybe that’s what Miller was going for in this track, but it’s just not as good as some of the rest on this album.

10. “Blue World”

This track has a sample of “It’s a Blue World” by The Four Freshman with chopped vocals that, at some points, cut in and out. This creates a trippy feeling in the music. This song has such great production and shows Miller’s rap side that we’ve seen on his albums in previous years. This track’s production sticks out so much, but it doesn’t hold as much of an emotional connection as the rest of the tracks here. This feels like a break from the raw emotion of the album, a sort of jumpy fun track. I do love this track a lot. I just don’t think it fits on this album.

9. “Hands”

This track feels a little bit more dated than the rest of the songs on this album. Miller used a pitched-up vocal clip to open the song, which leads into drums and percussion instruments. Miller dives deeper into his more negative thoughts. He questions himself and asks, “Why don’t you wake up from your bad dreams? When’s the last time you took a little time for yourself?”

8. “I Can See”

Miller realizes his faults and can finally see from the outside. He understands how bad his addiction is, and on this track, he realizes that he’s ready to try harder and push to get to where he wants to be. This track is upsetting, obviously, because of how hopeful he sounds. I really like the sound of this one and how ready he sounds for change. 

7. “Everybody”

Miller puts his own twist on Love’s “Everybody’s Gotta Live” with a cover. I like this version more than the original, with its nice, groovy drums, and I am in love with the fills in this song. I love how the song presents itself to you as if it’s bursting through the door. 

6. “Once a Day”

“Once a Day” is the final song on “Circles.” It is very minimal, just a couple of synths and Miller’s voice, but it really chokes me up. This song sounds like exhaustion. It was released after a snippet of him performing it at a private event was found on his phone after his passing. He talks about how he tries so hard every day, but he can’t seem to keep everything under control. The sad part is how far gone he sounds. He sounds like he knows where he’s at, and explains how he thinks he got there, “You’re running low on regret. No tears, that’s keeping you wet. I think you gettin’ it now.” Miller feels consumed by regret and captures it with this song in a way I don’t think I’ve heard before. 

5. “Surf”

“Surf” is a broad overview of Miller’s mental state. He covers a lot of different topics ranging from relationships, addiction and even just personal advice. He shows his appreciation for a girl and how he’s happy to grow with her. He also talks about how people with an outside view of his relationships might see him as crazy because of the things he’s willing to do for someone, but he excuses it as love. “Surf” is a very nice look into Miller’s headspace and feels very personal to him. 

4. “Woods”

In “Woods,” Miller depicts a failing relationship that he understands is beyond its breaking point and is impossible to fix. He twists the phrase “out of the woods” (the worst part is over) by saying that the relationship between him and this girl is still in the woods, or that he is currently in the worst part. The song features a very scratchy synth that eventually overpowers the rest of the music, then suddenly fades and is reduced to a more quiet synth with tremolo and bells. Miller does a perfect job in his lyrics with capturing the feeling of knowing nothing can be done, and the music ties it all together very nicely.

3. “Good News”

In this track, Miller takes us through his struggles with his addiction, mixed with his resentment for how he has to act around people. He wishes that he could feel the bad things without being pressured to not show what he’s going through, “Good news, good news, good news, that’s all they wanna hear.” The muted guitar and synth are quiet, but very powerful in this track, as well as Miller’s lyricism. You can hear his resentment, but at the same time, you can feel his hope for the future. You can feel how badly he hopes that everything will get better for him.

2. “Hand Me Downs (Ft. Baro Sura)”

“Hand Me Downs” starts off with sticky hi-hats from an acoustic drum set that is perfectly recorded. Every part of it sets the tone for this song, and when the bassline/guitar riff kicks in you can feel that this one is different from the rest. Miller describes his view on how he feels he is self-destructive. He talks about a girl that he sees as help, “And all I ever needed was somebody with some reason who can keep me sane.” Baro Sura’s feature comes in with smooth, layered vocals which add everything and more to this song. Sura sings of a girl that keeps him in line, someone that he can see himself being with for a long time, “Say you need more of a family ‘round, let’s turn these genes into hand me downs.”

1. “Circles”

In the first track, “Circles,” Miller invites you to this album as if it’s a safe place as soon as this song starts. The spongy, bell-like synth and soft, warm bass welcome you with open arms. In this song, Miller describes how he feels he is stuck in circles in his life that he can’t seem to get out of. He goes further and explains that even though he feels this way, he still finds ways to enjoy it, but at the end of the day he always feels the same. The feeling that this song produces is inexplicable, and it has been my favorite opening track to any album for a long time. To take that even further, it is my favorite song on this album.