BIOGRAPHY 

Background

At the time of his death on September 7, 2018, Miller was "well into" the recording process of Circles. It was intended to be a companion album to Swimming (2018), with "two different styles complementing each other, completing a circle" and the concept being "swimming in circles". Jon Brion, who worked with Miller on the album, completed production "based on his time and conversations" with Miller.[2][3] Swimming and Circles were planned to be the first two installments in a trilogy of albums, where the last piece would have been "a pure hip-hop record", as described by Brion.[4]

Circles was announced by Miller's family via a note on his Instagram account on January 8, 2020. It was released by Warner Records on January 17, 2020.[2][5]

Composition

Critics have described the album as having elements of emo rap,[6] soft rock,[6] pop,[6] hip hop,[6] R&B,[6] lo-fi,[7] indie folk,[7] and synth-pop.[8] The track "Blue World" includes additional production assistance from Guy Lawrence, one half of UK-based house production duo Disclosure.[9]

The track "Everybody" is a cover of American singer-songwriter Arthur Lee's "Everybody's Gotta Live", from his 1972 debut album Vindicator.[10][11]

Singles

The lead single, "Good News", was released on January 9, 2020, alongside an accompanying music video directed by Anthony Gaddis and Eric Tilford.[12] The video features imagery of Miller in an abstract world with colorful animated landscapes.[12][13] The remaining tracks on the album were also released with music videos of a similar style on January 17, 2020.[14] "Good News" debuted at number 17 on US Billboard Hot 100, surpassing "Self Care" (2018; number 33) as his highest charting song as lead artist.[15] "Blue World" will be sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio on February 4, 2020, as the second single from the album.[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.8/10[17]
Metacritic 83/100[18]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [19]
Exclaim! 9/10[20]
The Guardian [6]
HipHopDX 4.0/5[8]
The Independent [21]
NME [22]
The Observer [23]
Pitchfork 7.4/10[7]
Rolling Stone [24]
Sputnikmusic 4.5/5[25]

Circles was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 83, based on 14 reviews.[18] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[17]

In her review for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor praised the album, writing, "Through the album there's a mesmerising rhythm, a kind of rocking horse motion that spurs you on to the next track. ... On Swimming he was adrift, searching for a lighthouse beam that would bring him back to "a place of comfort". On Circles, it sounds as though - if only for the briefest of moments - he found it."[21] Sputnikmusic critic Rowan5215 said, "Where Circles succeeds, where it becomes a graceful and elegant piece of art rather than an experimental excursion, is in finding the perfect subject matter for its laidback meanderings. Quite simply, these songs are dispatches from a day in the life of Mac Miller."[25] Writing for Exclaim!, A. Harmony stated, "His gruff vocals hold pain and weariness as he reflects on his struggles and challenges. Yet, however difficult it might be to ingest his candour, there is also a maturity about Miller in which to take solace. There's a sense of growth and lessons learned. These are the marks of a life well-lived, however short."[20] David Brake of HipHopDX wrote, "He finds beauty and peace in allowing himself to experience his own emotions. It's an honest, matter-of-fact account of the grey areas of his life and mind. On Circles, Mac shows the unexpected joy that can be found in the darkest of times."[8]

Kitty Empire of The Observer saying "If Swimming felt contemplative, Circles feels even more like a singer-songwriter album than a hip-hop joint - a tendency most likely amplified by Brion's treatments."[23] Will Lavin of NME gave a positive review, stating "It's a high-quality project, but we lost Mac way too soon, and that's hard to accept. So while it's hard to listen to him talking about self-deterioration and how he spends far too much time in his own head, it's a privilege to hear him share his inner most thoughts over a bed of sweeping, inventive sonics. This is the album Mac Miller was born to make."[22] Rachel Aroesti from The Guardian enjoyed the album, saying, "Miller's lyrics possess a plainness that occasionally yields moments of heart-rending simplicity, but frequently wither into triteness and banality. Yet when his words fail him, his voice is able to communicate the pain more effectively."[6]