After its original release, Miller said “Faces” was “one of those projects that depending on where you started, that’s what kind of project it is. In terms of style, where Miller’s “Swimming” (2018) and his posthumously released “Circles” (2020) carry a somber tone throughout, “Faces” sits at the intersection of the rapper’s playful air and his heavy, introspective musings. The McCormick family, Miller’s close relatives, hand-selected artists to create these background graphics. In addition to the film, each song on the album is paired with a psychedelic visual. Accompanying the music is a minidocumentary titled “Making Faces.” Director Sam Balaban depicts the production process of this heralded mixtape, evoking fan nostalgia with previously unseen footage of the rapper and his team. With this 2021 rerelease, the album serves as a cherished time capsule of Miller ’s artistic genius despite his tragic death at such a young age. Miller originally released “Faces” in 2014, eschewing the support of any major label companies. With investigations linking his death to the consumption of laced drugs, the verse becomes evermore a sobering premonition and a look into the sad realities of young stardom. In September of 2018, the rapper died, resulting in a disturbing echo of a verse in his 2015 song “Brand Name,” in which he speaks “to everyone me drugs,” saying that he wants no part in “the 27 club,” a group of late artists who passed at that age.

Previously, the 2014 creation had been accessible only through lesser-known platforms such as SoundCloud. On behalf of the late rapper, the McCormick estate released the mixtape to major media platforms as a bona fide album.

Mac Miller’s “Faces” (2014) became available for widespread streaming on major platforms on Oct. Content warning: This article describes struggles with mental health, addiction and death at a young age.

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