Mac MillerCircles

Stripped-down, gentle, and strikingly spare. Loose guitar lines, nostalgic chord progressions, and instrumentation closer to indie rock than hip-hop. 'Good News' is a gentle acoustic strum about acceptance and exhaustion. Devastating in its posthumous context. 'Blue World' opens with a pitched-up Four Freshmen sample before electronic production kicks in. 'Surf' drifts, sun-warmed and woozy. The sonic equivalent of floating on your back and deciding not to worry anymore. Mac and producer Jon Brion had formed a deep creative bond; unlike most posthumous albums, these were what Brion called 'complete thoughts. They weren't thoughts I had to complete for him.' The companion piece to Swimming, forming the concept 'Swimming in Circles.' Double clear vinyl with poster-folder.