On June 18, 2013, Mac Miller released his sophomore studio album Watching Movies with the Sound Off. Peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, mostly because he shared a release date with Kanye West and J. Cole, WMWTSO became a fan-favorite in Miller’s catalog, thanks to hits like “Watching Movies” and “Objects in the Mirror.”
Videos by American Songwriter
This past weekend (June 23), in celebration of the LP’s 10th anniversary, and nearly five years since the emcee’s tragic death, Miller’s estate put out a special edition of the WMWTSO with a new song and music video. The 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION adds an original recording of the project’s intro “The Star Room,” now with a vocal contribution from Earl Sweatshirt.
On “The Star Room (OG Version),” Miller raps the same two verses heard in the 2013 rendition but does so over a new, mellower, guitar-strum-infused instrumental. Additionally, the song includes a new intro at the beginning with choir, as opposed to the intro given by Miller’s alter-ego Delusional Thomas in the 2013 version.
The visuals for the new “Star Room” arrived simultaneously with the new edition of the album, as it includes a whimsical depiction of a man running through different environments. Throughout the video, the unspecified person changes forms, starting off being made of balloons and eventually transitioning into different furry creatures.
In a press release provided by Miller’s team, the video’s director Danae Gosset explains the motivation for the unorthodox visuals.
“The video depicts the journey of an open-minded character as they navigate the world, discovering and evolving along the way,” Gosset says. “I had the privilege of collaborating with the incredibly talented Sam Mason (director of Miller’s ‘Colors and Shapes’ video), who designed the characters for the video. The storyline begins and ends with a candid embryo-like character, showcasing their growth and transformation through diverse landscapes and encounters. My goal was to capture the essence of a transformative journey while maintaining a childlike curiosity towards exploring different worlds.”
The release of Watching Movies with the Sound Off (10th Anniversary) is the latest of a few posthumous releases from Miller. After his sixth studio album Circles came out in 2020, prior mixtapes like K.I.D.S. and Faces were both added to digital streaming platforms for the first time. Currently, famed hip-hop producer Madlib is putting the finishing touches on Maclib, their collaborative album they had in the works before Miller’s death.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella
