Injury Reserve has released potentially their final album together By The Time I Get To Phoenix Wednesday.
The new album has a single guest appearance from Bruiser Brigade member Zelooperz, but also finds Black Midi drummer Morgan Simpson on the intro track “Outside.” Besides its short guest list, By The Time I Get To Phoenix features some of the group’s most experimental production and flows not only from Injury Reserve, but from any rap act this year.
The album was primarily recorded before member Stepa J Groggs passed away last year, however, songs like “Top Picks for You” and “Postpostpartum” directly deal with his passing. The noisy, chaotic production by Parker Corey mixed with Ritchie with a T’s off-kilter, almost free-form flow creates something entirely unique unlike anything else heard in hip-hop today.
Listen to Injury Reserve’s latest album below!
Injury Reserve announces ‘By the Time I Get Touring’ Tour with Slauson Malone, Zeroh
Arizona rap group Injury Reserve is gearing up for an expansive world tour for their upcoming album By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
The tour is set to kick off in Chicago on Oct. 8 before moving throughout the United States up until January. Shortly after their American escapade, IR will head overseas to end their tour in Prague.
BtTIGtouring us & euro dates this fall/winter, tickets go on sale friday at 10am local time. V thankful to have @slausonmalone joining us again and excited to play w @_zeroh ofc after mixing this new record w him <3 pic.twitter.com/6MXqdstYN0
— Injury Reserve (@InjuryReserve) September 7, 2021
Known for their innovative production style and collaborations with Portland rapper Amine, the group has developed a loyal following that has grown exponentially the past few years — thanks to their debut album and versatile range of features.
The tour’s announcement comes almost a month after their upcoming album, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, was revealed. The highly-anticipated project will seemingly be the final Injury Reserve album to feature vocals from the late Stepa J Groggs, who unfortunately passed away last summer.
Groggs can be heard on the album’s lead single “Knees,” as the track is a strong showing of the rapper’s impact while tugging a few heartstrings along the way.
Joining them on tour is underground experimentalist Slauson Malone and Los Angeles rapper Zeroh. The former is coming off albums in A Quiet Farwell: Twenty Sixteen to Twenty Nineteen and its successor EP Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak). Similarly, Zeroh is fresh off the release of his critically-acclaimed album BLQLYTE. With this varied lineup, attendees can expect a whiplash of different genres found in today’s rap scene.
As By the Time I Get to Phoenix is set to drop Sept. 15, it’s bound to be another stellar inclusion to their already impressive discography. However, it seems like it will be a heartful and tearful goodbye for the group, previously saying “a loving father, life partner, and friend”.
Listen to “Knees” by Injury Reserve below!
