By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Injury Reserve: Review
Injury Reserve
are a Phoenix based hip hop trio who released a string of critically acclaimed mixtapes culminating in their 2019 self-titled debut. Last year one of the groups two MCs Steppa J. Groggs tragically passed away and By The Time I Get To Phoenix is the first new music from the group since his death. The writing and recording process for the record was underway before Groggs passed away and he has a number of appearances on the album.
Review By Lav:
I have been a massive admirer of Injury Reserve for years now. They showed off quite a bit of versatility on their self-titled and I said at the time that I was thrilled to see where they would go next. It was obviously an extremely painful and unfair tragedy that someone as young and talented as Groggs so tragically passed away and I wasn't sure we would ever hear another album from the band. On By The Time I Get To Phoenix the band throws convention completely out the window creating their most thematically dark and instrumentally experimental album to date. Parker Corey's sampling and production take center stage across the albums hazy and unsettling 11 tracks. The record is so removed from some of the foundations of hip hop that I struggle to even call this a rap album, but whatever you call it, it's fascinating.
The record gets off to quite the strong start, leading with the 6 minute Outside. The instrumental features a weird warbling mess of synth tones that sound like a warped Mario fire level and I mean that in a good way. Ritchie handles all the vocals on the song save for a sampled spoken intro and he does it in a flowless almost ramble like fashion. I'm impressed with how chilling and cutthroat he sounds despite the style of his delivery. The last two minutes of the song introduce a much more tangible instrumental palette and I love the combination of pounding drums and heavy breathing. Superman That was the albums second single and it's a very loud and very off-kilter one that pulls it's sound from a prominent sample of the original version of Black Country New Road's Athens, France. This is the first of many instances where the genius of Parker Corey's production shines brighter than anything else on the track. The constant pummeling intensity of the beat pairs perfectly with Ritchie's melodic hook and it helps the track feel emotionally drained even with the loud instrumentation.
SS San Francisco borrows a bassline from one of The Fall's songs to serve as the core of one of the records more reserved instrumentals. On the track Ritchie teams up with ZelooperZ, the records only feature, and they come out sounding both menacing but totally otherworldly. They continue to abandon conventional flows and the results are a song that feels like it just circles back over and over. Footwork In A Forest Fire is the first time we hear a full Groggs verse and it comes after a passage of inaudible whispering. His intensity comes out of nowhere and feels like the first really recognizable rap verse on the album. Ritchie matches that unsettling intensity in his performance and the result is one of the more conventional bangers on the record.
The middle of the record is by far its weak point but there is a surprise highlight in Top Picks For You. It's a hookless song that is quite literally about algorithms and consumption and how closely consumer behavior is being monitored in the internet age. Obviously it's pretty indulgent and maybe a little niche but I find it super interesting. I've tried to not project the passing of Groggs onto all these songs lyrical themes but I feel like some of the times Ritchie references a "you" in the track have to be about Groogs. There are moments where it seems like he is referencing continuing to see Groggs influence in his algorithms even though he's passed away which is such a compelling idea. It reminds me of something Clipping would make but much more sonically reserved and depressing. The album also ends on an excellent run of tracks starting with Postpostpartum. This is an absolutely badass song with some insanely quotable lyrical flexes from Ritchie. I love the whole way he interpolates the idea of postpartum into his bragging about having a unique style and plenty of copy cats. It's the song that hits the hardest in a more recognizable hip hop way.
Knees was the lead single and I've been absolutely obsessed with it for a few weeks now. The song has a Black Midi sample but the way it's interpolated into the track just makes the whole thing feel so dejected and depraved. Ritchie wears his heart on his sleeve in his performance where as Groggs sounds so emotionally raw and just defeated. Parker shines again with a beat fitting for the thematic approach but still with some distinctive sonic stylings, it's fantastic. Just as fantastic is Bye Storm which saves one of the records best samples for last grabbing Brian Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets and working it into this painful finale. This song sees Ritchie addressing the loss of Groggs directly and wishing he could have done more for him while he was still alive. The fact that we don't know exactly what Groggs was going through makes the ambiguous nature of the demons he faced even darker and his anguish even more painful. It's a gripping emotional finale to the record.
Wild Wild West is a pretty good idea for a song delivering a slightly paranoid series of bars full of Will Smith references over a Shellac sample. The performance from Ritchie is absolutely menacing but as cool and unique as it is the song is really just one long disjointed verse stretched out into two and a half minutes. Ground Zero doesn't quite sound like a song that would be called Ground Zero. It seems to be mostly built around braggadocios sports references and mentions of typical gangster rap themes. While it is caked in plenty of slick metaphors it feels like an incomplete song that's over before it even starts.
Smoke Don't Clear is the only song I don't enjoy much at all. The first big hurdle is Ritchie's very awkward and jokey sounding vocals on the hook. The track has a very serious demeanor but you couldn't tell from the hook. While the verse is better I don't think it's one of my favorites here. My favorite part of the song is yet another cool blending of drums and synths courtesy of Parker.
By The Time I Get To Phoenix is a raw, emotional and incredibly experimental outing that sees Injury Reserve reaching their potential for sonic exploration. It is extremely raw in both its instrumental presentation and airing out of the feelings surrounding the tragic event that defines it. The record is overwhelming in all facets and I strongly suggest giving it a couple chances before trying to make some kind of judgement on it, I certainly did. What I found was a record that is indulgent for a purpose, using excellent sampling and bearing deep emotional pains to convey the complicated emotional landscape that Injury Reserve experienced losing a friend and a band member. 8/10
I like this cover a lot. It has a quality about it that makes you just want to study it. The human silhouette on the double exposed image makes the subject seem like it's moving through the composition. The color palette is rich and compliments the center waited sun really well. I'm very happy with this one and only with there was some sort of small emblem of branding in the bottom corners. 9/10
For more experimental hip hop check out my review of Backxwash's I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses here
