Good News, Mac Miller fans: His newest release is just as sublime as his last few albums were

Good News.

There’s another Mac Miller album coming out, and that means one last chance for millions of diehard fans to vibe with the unique sounds and words that only the once-up-and-coming legend could provide.

The album, called Circles, will be released on Friday, January 17.

It’s fitting that the first release is titled “Good News,” and there’s no doubt that his family and many fans feel that way about the music. It’s almost a supernatural bit of good news, since this music is being released after he’s passed. It doesn’t even seem like it should exist at all.

The album will be one last connection to the musician– where he was at the time, the kinds of thoughts and feelings he was experiencing, which many people, including myself, can so deeply relate to. It’s one last treasure trove of themes and feelings you can connect with yourself, one last grasp at another anthem you can carry with you as you battle your way through this life.

Like his previous two albums, the song “Good News” is incredibly relatable for its audience.

The beat is revelatory. It’s perfect for his style– poignant, melancholy, and yet with a deep, upbeat positivity, like the answer is in there somewhere, like there’s this unwavering belief that happiness will win out in the end.

The chorus goes: “Good News, good news, good news, that’s all they wanna hear. They don’t like it when I’m down.”

It seems intentional that he says good news three times before driving you off a cliff with “that’s all they want to hear…”

The verse might reflect Mac’s feelings as family members, fans, and people close to him during his recovery wanted to hear that he was getting better.

It certainly reflects the power that drug addiction has, and how it carried him towards negativity despite having so many people in his corner rooting him on. Addiction can make people turn against those trying to help because the part of their mind that wants them to continue to chase the high will make up reasons why those in their corner actually don’t have their best interests in mind.

In this case, Mac is putting them on a pedestal — like they don’t understand what he’s going through and why he can’t simply give them good news every time they check in.

There’s also something powerful about discovering that you can think positive, and that you can tap into that positivity at all times and channel it for your own good. But when you’re struggling, whether it’s with addiction, depression or mental health issues, you’re going to be up and down. There are going to be times when it overtakes you, and overrides the positivity you’ve learned as a skill.

It can be frustrating when that happens that people may see the initial recovery and hope that it’s going to be a straight line, and so when you get down again, you may feel like you’re letting them down. This line may describe that perfectly.

All of this turmoil then explains the line:

“I’m running out of gas / hardly anything left / hope I make it home from work”

It’s outstanding, as obviously his journey ‘home from work’ is a metaphor for staying in this thing, for not having a mental breakdown. He feels as though all of the pressures he faces on a daily basis are too much for him, and there are plenty of us out there just working 40 hours a week who can relate to that.

Of course, the song begins with Mac admitting that he “spent the whole day” in his head, so you understand right away that the collection of feelings he describes might contradict one another, but they’re all equally real and valid.

You can see the contradictions in these lines:

“Why can’t it just be easy / why does everybody need me (to stay)?”

“Can I get a break? / I wish that I could just get out my own goddamn way”

And then…

“Ain’t a better time than today”

The former are like a cry out for help, and they’re common feelings for someone who suffers from the kind of anxiety that makes doing everyday things seem extremely difficult sometimes. The latter is motivational, it’s like, why can’t I turn everything around today? The two thoughts contradict one another, but anyone who’s dealt with this understands that they can occur at the same time.

This line is also telling:

“All I do is say sorry / half the time I don’t even know what I’m saying it about”

This shows confusion, and shows that the feelings he’s experiencing aren’t logical or normal. He knows he feels guilt, but those feelings don’t necessarily have anything to do with reality.

Many critics felt Mac died while he was on the cusp of a breakthrough, and there’s no doubt that his last two albums were on another level. They were incredibly thoughtful, deep, and powerful for those who find connection in them.

It’s a shame that we couldn’t have heard more from him, and that we didn’t get the chance to find out just how sublime his music could be.

But at least there’s Good News.

That’s all we could have hoped for.

 

Related:

Mac Miller’s last two albums were so incredibly relatable, it’s genius

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