Arizona hip-hop trio Injury Reserve has had quite the year. After 2017’s mixtape Drive It Like It’s Stolen, their 2018 was spent headlining their first tour with JPEGMAFIA, signing their first record deal, and recording for their debut record Injury Reserve released last Friday. Although the group is relatively unknown, their singles ‘Oh Shit!!!’, ‘Campfire’ and ‘Jailbreak the Tesla’ (the latter two of which feature PDX native Aminé) have quickly helped them establish their place in the underground hip-hop scene.

Injury Reserve's music combines many qualities from both modern and classic hip-hop, as well as pop, R&B, punk, and garage rock. Their sound is consistently inconsistent, but often times their music pairs slick hip-hop delivery and diverse production methods, with a dash of abrasive instrumentation. Their newest self-titled album is no exception, as Injury Reserve is full of excitement at every turn.

Injury Reserve’s Self Titled album contains heavy thematic elements surrounding the rise to fame, addressing the past, and the problems that can come from trying to balance the two. The opening track ‘Koruna and Lime’ is a disjointed but catchy introduction to the group and their talents. The beat’s plain melody paired with the abrasive and industrial effects create an aggressive emotional tone that carries over into many of the other tracks. The song features rappers Stepa Groggs and Ritchie With a T delivering hard-hitting yet smooth bars with an unparalleled confidence describing their status in terms of both street credit and their ability to make money.

‘Koruna and Lime’ contains a formula that can be seen on many other tracks, such as ‘GTFU’ with JPEGMAFIA and Cakes da Killa, ‘Hello?!’, and ‘Best Spot in the House’, where the beat contains elements of an almost indulgent simplicity while also entertaining outlandish and unique pieces of glitchy instrumentation and samples. Even the song ‘QWERTY Interlude’ embraces this overly technical trend with chopped up vocals with an 808 heavy beat and a snare. Technology is the most dominant theme on this album both aurally and lyrically, but the technology isn’t explored too deeply in the album’s rapping except on the track ‘Jailbreak the Tesla’ featuring Aminé.

If there was any song on the album that would be Injury Reserve’s standout moment, ‘Jailbreak the Tesla’ stands alone. The beat subverts the audiences expectations of a simple but engaging arrangement, as the song contains multiple tracks of vocals, percussion, mbira-adjascent melodies, chaotic static, and even car noises. Ritchie’s verse contains two vocal tracks laid over one another, with them often being attuned off-pitch in instances that are equally interesting and eerie. Here he details his desire to, quite literally, Jailbreak a Tesla, exploring themes of money and the potentially unlawful manipulation of power via technological means. If that sounds like a reach, it’s because it probably is, but his verse is aggressive, and he flows well on a beat that would overpower many modern rappers. Aminé also pops in and shouts out Grimes, while delivering a fire performance as expected.

There are other notable moments on the album, such as the hard and humorous ‘Rap Song Tutorial’, the wonky and topsy-turvy classic piano sound of ‘Gravy n’ Biscuits’, and the chill but also hard-hitting ‘Wax On’ featuring a performance from Freddie Gibbs. Injury Reserve certainly portrays the group’s talents and abilities, but there are also weaker moments that don’t seem to fit on the album or make sense within the sonic and lyrical narrative of the album. ‘Jawbreaker’ featuring Rico Nasty and Pro Teens is a boring cut from the album that was actually on of the singles to the project itself. Songs like ‘What a Year It’s Been’ sound boring when compared to the flashiness of the album’s other tracks, but every moment of boring lyricism or uninspired production is easy to forgive after the album’s closing track ’Three Man Weave’. A sunny and jazzy classic rap track that almost sounds like it could be a Tribe Called Quest track, this song acts as Injury Reserve’s Victory lap after a solid first album.

Injury Reserve is definitely a group that will be on many hip-hop fans watch lists. Few groups show this much potential this soon after their first record deal. After this album, it’s clear skies from here.