Hip-hop group Injury Reserve has finally released some new music, following their 2017 EP "Drive It Like It's Stolen" which introduced me to the group's fantastic music from the unlikely trio out of Arizona. I only got around to listening to the album about a week after its release due to how much I was listening to "IGOR" by Tyler, The Creator which came out the same day. But I'm glad I did get around to it because it's a great listen. As always I will review the album track by track and finish it with an overall review.
Track 1; Koruna & Lime; A crazy solid opener to the album and one of the harder songs on the album as well. The beat on this song is ridiculous it has so much energy and it just feels like it's screaming in your face, Parker went off on this one. Groggs' opening verse fits the song perfectly too it has just the right amount of aggressiveness. Ritchie's verse is also great although more laid back it almost sounds like he's a bit tipsy which I think is intentional given he's drinking a margarita in the music video. The vocal/instrumental breakdown at the end of the song adds some really cool experimentation to the production and brings the song into a crash that's really nice.
Track 2; Jawbreaker; This song was the first single off the album and an interesting one to say the least, the beat is weird not like anything I've ever heard before and so is the hook from singer "Pro Teens" an artist I'd never heard of beforehand but that has a rather interesting voice. I really like the talking section of the song that Ritchie delivers on his opinions on fashion nowadays kind of interesting to hear an artist talk about, only other person I've really ever heard talk about that is Tyler on A$AP Mob's "Telephone Calls". Rico Nasty's feature is pretty powerful and energetic as most of her rapping is because she's a bad fucking bitch.
Track 3; GTFU; Jesus Christ, this song honestly scared me the first time it came on JPEG is like hella terrifying but man the adrenaline just flows through your veins when this song comes on. Cakes da Killa has a pretty average verse but it sounds good on the beat which isn't out of this world, it sounds a little like a darker and quieter version of the "Koruna & Lime" beat. The bridge is actually quite pretty for a song that starts off so energetic and has a nice couple verses from Ritchie and Groggs who sound very laid back and focus on the flow of their rapping. I love the "GET THE FUCK UP" variations on the end of the song I'm pretty sure it's just JPEG pitched up and down to the point that he sounds like either Donald Duck or Kylo Ren but yeah it sounds dope.
Track 4; QWERTY Interlude; Really cool concept for a song that it's like a CD skipping wish it was a little longer and had possibly another feature or a second verse from underground rapper Lil QWERTY.
Track 5; Jailbreak The Tesla; The second single from the album and definitely one of my favorites on the album. The "Tokyo Drift" sample is pretty fucking cool and so are the samples from a Tesla vehicle. In other words this beat is INSANE one of my favorites of the year without a doubt, can't wait to see this song performed live in september. I like the comparisons to comparing stealing a Tesla to jailbreaking an iPhone kind of funny. Amine's verse also goes really hard and the line "Your engine go vroom, My engine go ____" is just wow, a real energizer even if I'm just getting flexed on.
Track 6; Gravy n' Biscuits; Not a beat I would've expected Parker to come up with but it sounds pretty fucking cool, sounds like it's on some mafioso shit. Love the hook Ritchie delivers along with Groggs' verse. Parker is really an insane producer they're lucky to have him because although Ritchie and Groggs are crazy talented I'm not sure their music would have as much enjoyability without Parker's experimental yet accessible production.
Track 7; Rap Song Tutorial; Easily one of my favorite concept songs ever, it has quite a bit of humour to it, like when one of the members is writing the hook and you can hear him typing. Somehow even a track like this sounds dope, like I want a full version of this song, if it's out there somewhere it needs to be released. Also beat is fire, as always.
Track 8; Wax On; Another personal favorite on the album, the beat is really smooth and allows everyone appearing on it to sound great including feature Freddie Gibbs who I really want to release "Bandana" because he sounds good on like everything, especially Madlib beats. I don't have much to say about the song but I do like the isolated instrument that fades in every now and then but I can't really identify what instrument it is.
Track 9; What a Year It's Been; Really humble song from the trio, covering their rise to success and the issue they're still dealing with, especially coming from Groggs who gets pretty damn personal on this track. The beat is pretty sample just a synth fading inwards and outwards crescendoing. The breakdown is pretty dope very Kanye (I think he might even be sampled because there's an autotuned vocal that comes in a couple times near the beginning of the breakdown and at the end of the track). Pretty clever rhymes from Ritchie in his verse too. Overall a pretty insightful track.
Track 10; Hello?!; I mean like, I don't know it's cool, I could see it being a pretty good song if it were longer and I do honestly like Ritchie's crooning on this song and the saxophone in the background but outside of that there's not much to come back to on this song.
Track 11; Best Spot in the House; Another pretty laid back song. The highlight on this song for me has to be Parker singing the hook, I don't think I've ever heard him speak but here he's singing it's pretty cool. I do like the beat on this song I just wish it had a little more punch to it, but the synths that come forward and then seem to run backwards is really cool and an effect I wouldn't be against hearing in future projects from Injury Reserve or anyone else.
Track 12; New Hawaii; The last song I would've expected the trio to make to be honest, kind of R&B based with some soulful vocals from DRAM and Tony Velour. The beat sounds a little beachy, reminds me a bit of the synth on KYLE's "iSpy" (but like a lot better). The vocals that end up coming out like an autotuned harmonica are super cool and remind me a lot of something Daft Punk would produce. I haven't liked a DRAM feature in a bit but he sounds really good on here. Overall an odd track but a welcome one.
Track 13; Three Man Weave; At first I was certain this was a recycled Madlib beat or something but apparently it's just another stroke of genius from Parker Corey. Love the reflections Groggs and Ritchie take on their past (also love the tiny Russ diss, fuck Russ lol). The hook is great too kind of insightful. They just sound like they're having a really good time on this song which is why it's probably one of my favorites on the tracklist.
Really really really like this album Parker Corey's production is on the next level would love to hear some of my favorite rappers on his production. But that's not to take any of the spotlight away from Groggs and Ritchie their rapping is top tier on here and both of them have impeccable flows and some great rhyming schemes. Although there are a couple songs I skip when listening to the project in full the majority of it is great and has a lot of replay value. Also I think "Jailbreak The Tesla" will be one of my songs of the year it just goes so fucking hard like wow. Just wow. Anyways yeah I enjoyed this album a lot, solid 7.5/10.