Although it is only three years old, Swimming will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Mac Miller fans. Released roughly a month prior to his tragic death in September 2018, Mac’s fifth studio album landed the same day as Astroworld, the LP that officially ushered in Travis Scott’s arrival as Hip-Hop’s latest superstar. Thanks to Astroworld and the arrival of Nicki Minaj’s fourth studio album Queen a week later, Swimming wasn’t the project that was inspiring nonstop headlines at the time of its release, but it was lauded by critics nonetheless.
On its three-year anniversary, Mac Miller’s fifth studio album remains his most poignant and well-constructed full-length effort. Featuring tracks like “Perfecto,” “Self Care,” “Wings,” and “2009,” Swimming was self-aware and accepting without feeling emotionally overwhelming.
Even on the album’s hauntingly beautiful closing track, “So It Goes,” hope, defeat, and indifference all blend together seamlessly. Mac reportedly tasked producer Jon Brion to make the track’s orchestral outro sound like the “ascension into heaven,” so perhaps “So It Goes” alludes to the acceptance of one’s accomplishments and shortcomings prior to their death. Like “So It Goes,” Swimming was just ethereal, and it was a remarkable full-length effort from the late Pittsburgh rapper.
On the three-year anniversary of Swimming, what tracks from Mac Miller’s fifth studio album do you find yourself revisiting the most?
Quotable Lyrics
Okay, well, you could have the world in the palm of your hands
You still might drop it
And everybody wanna reach inside your pockets
So it goes
It’s like, in every conversation, we the topic
This narcissism, more like narcotics
So it goes
Rest in peace, Mac Miller!