Since his emergence in 2007, Pennsylvania rapper/singer Mac Miller’s four studio albums have all made it into the top five of the US charts. In the UK, however, he’s barely made a dent. beyond his work as a featured artist with his ex, Ariana Grande. Swimming is perhaps unlikely to change that, although that’s not to say it’s without merit.
In the past, Miller’s breezy production has been engrossing, but his songs have often been crass and – worse – forgettable. It’s something he’s remedying here. After a tumultuous few months that included his breakup with Grande and being arrested a week later on hit-and-run charges, Miller tells us on delicate opening track Come Back to Earth: “I was drowning, but now I’m swimming”. Most tracks float by in a pleasant if unremarkable funk-lite haze, but there’s an overall sense of Miller being older, wiser and more at peace than before (“I keep my head above the water,” he says later). He’s in no rush, but Swimming finds him quietly making waves in his own headspace. It feels more accomplished for it.
