Injury Reserve’s new album is a truly dystopian impression of despair, smashing together polar opposite genres to create something wholly new. Is it post-rap? Who knows.
Injury Reserve could very well call it quits today, and everyone would be devastated. But there’d also be an understanding that, because they’ve released what is arguably their definitive record, they wouldn’t have any obligation to release anything else.
Despite the successful release of their latest work, Injury Reserve’s future still stands in limbo. But if By the Time I Get to Phoenix is the group’s swan song, one thing is clear: the path to moving on is long and the work has just begun.
Despite the tough subject matter and even tougher pretenses surrounding the death of Groggs, By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a much needed commentary on a particularly dark time in history, offering to the masses a space of refuge and empathy amid collective trauma and loss.
This certainly doesn’t feel like a logical next step for Injury Reserve, nor does it really feel like the next logical step from anything currently in existence.
...fuck.
Do you ever hear an album that makes absolutely no sense, yet at the same time, makes perfect sense? Have you ever felt that duality, that stark contrast, that perfect clash when listening to something? Because for me, 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix', the sophomore record from Injury Reserve, is exactly what that is; it is something that makes absolutely no sense, but it makes perfect sense. This is an album that is grief personified, laid out and dissected, to a horrifically accurate ... read more
Just finished my first listen, and I have no clue how to feel about this. Wtf is this? I mean I clearly am not fully getting it to some degree, but like this is barely a hip hop album. This is about as far of a left turn as possible. After the passing of Groggs, I don’t know what I expected, but this album literally sounds like a large chunk was violently ripped out of it, and the damage/debris from the tear are part of the experience. The instrumentals are barely functional, and the ... read more
This should've been a mistake...
By almost all accounts, this should have been a terrible idea. Groggs was a vital member of the group. The three man weave *is* Injury Reserve, The prospect of taking any single one of them out of the equation is one that is reasonably met with hesitance, yet they pulled it off. Ritchie and Parker successfully made both the best album they've ever released, as well as an incredible tribute to their late friend.
The first thing I have to talk about is the ... read more
this might be my first unpopular opinion... i think the songwriting is stellar and the production is meant to be completely dysfunctional but i can't find the insanely heavy appeal that everyone else on aoty is finding. that being said, it's still solid.
favorite tracks: Outside, Superman That, SS San Francisco, Smoke Don't Clear, Top Picks for You, Postpostpartum, Bye Storm
least favorite tracks: Wild Wild West
AN 86??? yall need to rate this more higher.
this album cannot be compared to death grips, yes they both have messy asf production, but the production here tells a story of grief. thats what i loved about this album, the lyrics are very minimal and it feels like an album where the production speaks the emotions for ritchie and parker instead of making a formal tribute album
putting absolutely everything on the table only to be forced to explain yourself afterwards, but all you can do is stutter
1 | Outside 6:14 | 94 |
2 | Superman That 2:40 | 94 |
3 | SS San Francisco 3:51 feat. ZelooperZ | 89 |
4 | Footwork in a Forest Fire 3:36 | 90 |
5 | Ground Zero 2:25 | 84 |
6 | Smoke Don't Clear 2:30 | 87 |
7 | Top Picks for You 4:32 | 93 |
8 | Wild Wild West 2:28 | 87 |
9 | Postpostpartum 4:10 | 93 |
10 | Knees 5:03 | 96 |
11 | Bye Storm 3:40 | 94 |
#4 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#11 | / | PopMatters |
#11 | / | The Needle Drop |
#19 | / | SPIN |
#20 | / | NPR Music |
#21 | / | What's Good |
#39 | / | Beats Per Minute |
#41 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#46 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
#53 | / | RIFF |