Injury Reserve - By the Time I Get to Phoenix ALBUM REVIEW
Fuck, man…
This is gonna be rough to talk about. Injury Reserve is an Arizona rap group with members Ritchie With a T, Parker Corey, and Stepa J. Groggs formed in 2012 and had a good amount of projects before breaking through with their 2016 mixtape, Floss. It was a great breath of fresh air into the underground scene. In 2019, they ended up capitalizing on it with their self-titled debut album, which ended up not only pushing the group closer to the mainstream but it’s also one of the best albums of the 2010s. It’s a bit of a hot take, but it’s that good, trust me. The next summer, Groggs suddenly and tragically passed away. To my knowledge, the cause of death was never revealed. Because of how integral Groggs was to the group, many assumed that this would be where the journey of Injury Reserve would end. That wouldn’t be the case. Over a year after Groggs’ passing, their second studio album, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, was officially announced, and with its lead single “Knees,” it set a high bar for not only the quality of the music but the emotional impact would certainly be strong. Let’s not waste any more time and get into what seems to be the final Injury Reserve album.
There are gonna be two sections of this review: the actual music and the emotional impact. We’re gonna start with the music portion. Musically, it’s much more experimental than their already-experimental music. I’d even go as far as to call it post-rap. It has a noticeably darker tone for pretty obvious reasons, but it’s much more similar to rock music than rap here. When it comes to the sound overall, it’s an incredibly challenging album to listen to. Quite frankly, it’s one of the most challenging and boundary-pushing albums I’ve heard in a long time. It’s absolutely lethargic yet really cathartic at the same time. The sound will turn off most people, and right when I heard the singles, I knew that would be the case. I just didn’t expect it to be this challenging.
Now, we come to the other big part of this album. This is intense. Earlier this year, I lost a couple of friends suddenly and I was really shaken up by it. I had gone to the memorials with their friends, their families, and the people that knew them best. I know how it feels to lose someone, and listening to this took me back to that time. I’ve never heard the pain and genuine sensation of loss so realized in music. It feels like going through a nuclear blast and living to tell the tale. I could go on and on about this, but I feel like I’ve made my point about the emotional impact of this album.
I didn’t want to review this. This was one of the only times in my writing career that I actually didn’t want to sit down and type all of this out because I knew how hard this was going to be. An Injury Reserve album without one of the core members shouldn’t work. This should have failed. Steppa J. Groggs was such a vital part of the group. The three of them are Injury Reserve. I was so hesitant about everything on this album, but Richie and Parker have pulled off the impossible. On one end, By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a harrowing and challenging album to listen to, heartbreaking on nearly every level. On the other end, By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a beautiful tribute to their late friend and shows just how close the three of them are and were. Simply put, this is stunning. R.I.P. Jordan Alexander Groggs.
10/10
Listen here
Bandcamp (to support the group directly)
YouTube Music
By the Time I Get to Phoenix is self-released.
This is gonna be rough to talk about. Injury Reserve is an Arizona rap group with members Ritchie With a T, Parker Corey, and Stepa J. Groggs formed in 2012 and had a good amount of projects before breaking through with their 2016 mixtape, Floss. It was a great breath of fresh air into the underground scene. In 2019, they ended up capitalizing on it with their self-titled debut album, which ended up not only pushing the group closer to the mainstream but it’s also one of the best albums of the 2010s. It’s a bit of a hot take, but it’s that good, trust me. The next summer, Groggs suddenly and tragically passed away. To my knowledge, the cause of death was never revealed. Because of how integral Groggs was to the group, many assumed that this would be where the journey of Injury Reserve would end. That wouldn’t be the case. Over a year after Groggs’ passing, their second studio album, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, was officially announced, and with its lead single “Knees,” it set a high bar for not only the quality of the music but the emotional impact would certainly be strong. Let’s not waste any more time and get into what seems to be the final Injury Reserve album.
There are gonna be two sections of this review: the actual music and the emotional impact. We’re gonna start with the music portion. Musically, it’s much more experimental than their already-experimental music. I’d even go as far as to call it post-rap. It has a noticeably darker tone for pretty obvious reasons, but it’s much more similar to rock music than rap here. When it comes to the sound overall, it’s an incredibly challenging album to listen to. Quite frankly, it’s one of the most challenging and boundary-pushing albums I’ve heard in a long time. It’s absolutely lethargic yet really cathartic at the same time. The sound will turn off most people, and right when I heard the singles, I knew that would be the case. I just didn’t expect it to be this challenging.
Now, we come to the other big part of this album. This is intense. Earlier this year, I lost a couple of friends suddenly and I was really shaken up by it. I had gone to the memorials with their friends, their families, and the people that knew them best. I know how it feels to lose someone, and listening to this took me back to that time. I’ve never heard the pain and genuine sensation of loss so realized in music. It feels like going through a nuclear blast and living to tell the tale. I could go on and on about this, but I feel like I’ve made my point about the emotional impact of this album.
I didn’t want to review this. This was one of the only times in my writing career that I actually didn’t want to sit down and type all of this out because I knew how hard this was going to be. An Injury Reserve album without one of the core members shouldn’t work. This should have failed. Steppa J. Groggs was such a vital part of the group. The three of them are Injury Reserve. I was so hesitant about everything on this album, but Richie and Parker have pulled off the impossible. On one end, By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a harrowing and challenging album to listen to, heartbreaking on nearly every level. On the other end, By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a beautiful tribute to their late friend and shows just how close the three of them are and were. Simply put, this is stunning. R.I.P. Jordan Alexander Groggs.
10/10
Listen here
Bandcamp (to support the group directly)
YouTube Music
By the Time I Get to Phoenix is self-released.
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