As a Pittsburgher, it would be wrong of me to start my Album Analyses with anyone other than the one and only Mac Miller. Though he has released several iconic albums including K.I.D.S and Blue Slide Park (which was named after a famous playground in Pittsburgh), I will be dissecting Swimming, a heart wrenching and brutally honest narrative on addiction and depression that spans thirteen songs and lasts for just under an hour. This beautiful piece of art alludes to heartbreak and the process of healing after life altering events. For instance, the ending of Miller’s high profile relationship with Ariana Grande has been cited as an inspiration throughout the album. 

Mac Miller does not hold back. He speaks to his flaws candidly, not shying away from his struggles. Crucially, however, he shows hope that he will recover and learn to love himself, a message that everyone, not just those struggling with anxiety and depression, should take to heart. So without further ado, here is Swimming.

To understand this album in its entirety, we must first study the album cover before diving into the pool of brilliant lyricism and masterful instrumentals that make up the thirteen tracks. There are several theories analyzing the metaphors in this seemingly simple photo, but Christian Weber, the photographer who shot the cover, gave a first hand account to several of these aspects. Swimming represents the culmination of Miller’s work till that point, and so, it makes sense that the cover for this album also brings symbols from prior covers. The white background is taken from GO:OD AM (2015), the pink suit and the blue-white sky is the same color scheme as The Divine Feminine (2016), the centralized Miller is in the same spot as in Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013), and, finally, the vertical central stripe is identical to the blue stripe in Blue Slide Park (2011). There are other key elements in this photo, however. The shadowy box that contrasts with the bright white background might allude to a coffin, and Miller’s dirty feet might be a sign of “impurity” associated with his drug addiction. Contrastingly, however, it could also represent a new hope that he is walking places and not flying high on “Jet Fuel,” a metaphor for drugs and also the title of track eleven. Nonetheless, Miller’s expression foretells a somber and introspective hour that is to come.

We start with “Come Back to Earth,” a song that characterizes the poignancy of the album itself. The soft guitar, the piano, and the bass provide a strong foundation for Miller’s melancholy words and a spacey synthesizer that brings itself out during the climax of the song. This is the perfect intro for the album, highlighting prominent themes and motifs that are brought clear throughout. From the very start, we see Mac lamenting about his regrets and how he will “do anything for a way out / Of my head.” The idea of being stuck in one’s own head is mentioned throughout the album and is often connected to the weather. In the same song, he sings “Don’t you know that sunshine don’t feel right / When you’re inside all day? I wish it was nice out, but it look like rain.” He draws this comparison of being so obsessed with thoughts and stuck in the mind to a rainy day. Literally, he wants to come out into the sun and escape the prison of being stuck inside his house. Metaphorically, he shows that his prison follows him around—that no matter where he is, he cannot enjoy the sunshine, because he is always trapped inside a cloudy mind. The following lyric, however, gives us hope: “Grey skies are driftin’, not livin’ forever / They told me it only gets better.” Despite the despair and the bad weather, he shows hope that these cloudy skies will one day clear out and he will be able to enjoy the sunshine. The other motif that Miller alludes to connects to the title of the album: Swimming. In one short line, he shows the progress that he has made already, singing “I was drownin’, but now I’m swimmin’ / Through stressful waters to relief.” Mac Miller is not drowning in his problems anymore, but rather coping with them, striving for that relief and persevering in the face of adversity. 

Although I have only outlined this one song, the intro encapsulates the largest themes that Mac explores through his journey. Swimming is honest. It’s haunting. It stays in your mind with tracks that play over and over again. Everytime you listen to songs from this masterclass album, you decipher more and more of the intricacies that Mac Miller weaves throughout. Swimming is contradictory. In one song, he tells us that there’s hope for a better day, and in others he tells us he will not come down to Earth anytime soon. There are jarring outros, unique jazz elements, and beautiful orchestrals. Swimming is not happy, but it’s not sad. Swimming will make you feel a wide array of emotions before you have a chance to analyze them. Swimming is complex, raw, and pure. Swimming is human.