The War on Drugs released a new album, one I have not been able to ingest enough, but i did include one track that caught my attention. More to come.

Mac Miller’s 2014 mixtape Faces just got released on vinyl and streaming services, and it’s the one mixtape of his I had never heard! There are many, many references to drugs. Many. And it is obviously taking place in the middle of the blurry road he was on to his tragic overdoes only four years later. “Should have died already…” is Miller’s first line on the mixtape.

Listening to Faces, an album he mostly produced himself, it’s wild he was only 22 years old. His rapping and lyrics were really crafty and clever, and his production showed so many signs of the brilliance he could create. You may notice the sample in this week’s track, “Diablo,” a straight lift from “In a Sentimental Mood” by Coltrane and Ellington.

Although he took the back seat to producing his next few albums (while still writing every song), his final and posthumous album, Circles, was produced by him and super producer, Jon Brion. Faces is worth a deep dive for any Miller fan, and I’ll be adding my favorite tracks over the next few weeks.

Spotify led me to Yeek or Verzache, and I’m digging their sound!