# My Ghosts Go Ghost
**My Ghosts Go Ghost** is the debut studio album by the American rap duo [By Storm](https://www.edgepedia.org/by-storm), released on January 30, 2026 through the label deadAir[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go). By Storm consists of rapper RiTchie (Nathaniel Ritchie) and producer Parker Corey, the two surviving members of the experimental hip-hop group [Injury Reserve](https://www.edgepedia.org/injury-reserve), who formed the new project after the death of their bandmate Stepa J. Groggs[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/). Reviewers have described the album as experimental and abstract hip-hop, and it received a Metacritic weighted average of 80 out of 100 from seven critic reviews[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-ghosts-go-ghost/by-storm/critic-reviews).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | By Storm, the duo of RiTchie and Parker Corey, formed from the surviving members of Injury Reserve[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/) |
| Release | January 30, 2026, via deadAir[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go) |
| Length | 46:06 across 9 tracks[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-ghosts-go-ghost-mw0004753514) |
| Guests and contributors | billy woods on "Best Interest"; saxophone by Patrick Shiroishi on "Double Trio 2"; mixed and mastered by Zeroh[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go) |
| Critical reception | Metacritic 80/100 from 7 critics, all positive; ranked #27 best album of 2026 on the site[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-ghosts-go-ghost/by-storm/critic-reviews) |
## Background
Injury Reserve, the group RiTchie, Parker Corey, and Stepa J. Groggs formed, built its reputation on brash experimental rap, and released *By the Time I Get to Phoenix* as its final album after Groggs's death[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/). The surviving members retired the Injury Reserve name and continued as By Storm[5](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/studentreviewer/album/1616353-my-ghosts-go-ghost/). In a 2023 single, "Double Trio," a free jazz-rap track, the duo captured what Pitchfork's Benny Sun called the panic of a band in forced metamorphosis[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/).
The duo announced *My Ghosts Go Ghost* on January 14, 2026, alongside the final single "And I Dance"[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go). In their announcement they explained that they had been working on new music since wrapping the final Injury Reserve tours at the end of 2022, but that the pressure of debuting a new band while following up *By the Time I Get to Phoenix* led them to release songs they were confident in individually, including extended "MAXI" versions running over 40 minutes each, while playing shows in Phoenix, New York, London, and Los Angeles[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go). By the time they performed in Los Angeles in October 2025, they were, by their own account, essentially performing the album[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go).
## Music and lyrics
All nine songs were written and produced by Nathaniel Ritchie and Parker Corey[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go). The album runs 46:06, with track lengths ranging from "GGG" at 4:02 to "In My Town" at 7:02[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-ghosts-go-ghost-mw0004753514). Zeroh handled mixing and mastering, and Parker Corey created the artwork[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go).
Pitchfork described the lyrics and production as more conversational and off-cuff than anything the duo had previously attempted, with jangly guitars and vaporwave sample collages, and Ritchie rapping with an improvisational sensibility[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/). On "In My Town," Ritchie moves between financial difficulties, the harshness of touring, and a new baby on the way[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/). "Can I Have You For Myself?" addresses Ritchie's partner on the eve of their child's birth, tempering gratitude with a desire for things to stay the same[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/).
**Grief and its limits.** The closing track "GGG" confronts Groggs's death directly: the three consonants recall their friend and also stand for "Ghosts Go Ghost," and the track ends with a repeated plea, "Don't let me go," cut off suddenly by a piano melody[6](https://www.ondarock.com/review/2026-by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost.htm). On "Dead Weight," Ritchie refuses to cut his locs when others tell him he would move lighter without them, framing the hair as a hold on Groggs's memory[5](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/studentreviewer/album/1616353-my-ghosts-go-ghost/).
Pitchfork identified the final act as the album's peak, with "And I Dance" as its most tightly written song, a wash of catharsis in which Ritchie celebrates having made it to "the other side"[2](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/).
## Critical reception
Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 based on seven critic reviews, all rated positive, and ranked the album #27 on its list of the best albums of 2026[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-ghosts-go-ghost/by-storm/critic-reviews). Beats Per Minute gave 84, finding that its stark contrasts and melancholy work better on each spin; Mojo gave 80, calling the debut fully formed; Clash gave 80, placing By Storm in the lineage of experimental rap acts such as Dälek while calling the record wholly modern; Paste gave 75, praising Parker Corey's production at the brink of hip-hop's most avant-garde edges; and Pitchfork gave 70, noting that Corey's productions and Ritchie's conversational flows feel hypnotic over large sound systems but meander on an intimate listen[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-ghosts-go-ghost/by-storm/critic-reviews).
Individual reviews emphasized different strengths. The Spanish newspaper *El País* called it the most innovative of the recent hip-hop releases it surveyed, placing it as close to the most experimental hip-hop as to artists like [FKA Twigs](https://www.edgepedia.org/fka-twigs) and Anohni[7](https://elpais.com/babelia/2026-02-27/el-hip-hop-ante-su-crisis-de-la-mediana-edad.html). On the user side, Album of The Year recorded a user score of 81 from 8,442 ratings[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1616353-by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/user-reviews/?p=30&show=all), and sputnikmusic users averaged 3.6, labeled "great"[9](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=539900).
## Release formats and touring
The album was released digitally on January 30, 2026, with an initial vinyl pressing of 1,000 copies offered on January 26[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go). Physical editions followed on deadAir, including a CD and a 12-inch vinyl, with a deadAir-exclusive two-color black-in-clear vinyl variant carrying catalog number 840526503605[10](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/253d43b7-a040-44f8-b156-e6a0f0a5a120). Retailers listed CD and vinyl street dates in April 2026[11](https://apocalypsevinyl.com/products/pre-order-my-ghosts-go-ghost-cd). The duo supported the album with a My Ghosts Go Ghost Tour across Europe and North America in spring and summer 2026, with dates including Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Austin, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C.[12](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/everything-my-ghosts-go-ghost). Their show in Tokyo on January 31, 2026, with billy woods and Dos Monos, served as the unofficial release show[1](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go).
## Track listing
All tracks by By Storm; lengths from AllMusic[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-ghosts-go-ghost-mw0004753514).
1. "Can I Have You for Myself?" – 5:21
2. "Dead Weight" – 4:28
3. "Grapefruit" – 4:20
4. "In My Town" – 7:02
5. "Zig Zag" – 6:56
6. "Best Interest" (featuring billy woods) – 4:28
7. "Double Trio 2" – 5:10
8. "And I Dance" – 4:19
9. "GGG" – 4:02
## References
1. [By Storm's debut album 'My Ghosts Go Ghost' coming January 30, By Storm on Substack](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/by-storms-debut-album-my-ghosts-go)
2. [By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost Album Review, Pitchfork, Benny Sun](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/)
3. [Critic Reviews for My Ghosts Go Ghost, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/my-ghosts-go-ghost/by-storm/critic-reviews)
4. [By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-ghosts-go-ghost-mw0004753514)
5. [My Ghosts Go Ghost review by StudentReviewer, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/studentreviewer/album/1616353-my-ghosts-go-ghost/)
6. [By Storm – My Ghosts Go Ghost, OndaRock, Antonio Silvestri](https://www.ondarock.com/review/2026-by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost.htm)
7. [El hip hop, ante su crisis de la mediana edad, El País](https://elpais.com/babelia/2026-02-27/el-hip-hop-ante-su-crisis-de-la-mediana-edad.html)
8. [My Ghosts Go Ghost User Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1616353-by-storm-my-ghosts-go-ghost/user-reviews/?p=30&show=all)
9. [By Storm – My Ghosts Go Ghost User Opinions, sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=539900)
10. [Release group "My Ghosts Go Ghost" by By Storm, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/253d43b7-a040-44f8-b156-e6a0f0a5a120)
11. [By Storm – My Ghosts Go Ghost [CD], Apocalypse Vinyl](https://apocalypsevinyl.com/products/pre-order-my-ghosts-go-ghost-cd)
12. [everything My Ghosts Go Ghost, By Storm on Substack](https://bystorm.substack.com/p/everything-my-ghosts-go-ghost)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Hip hop albums › Experimental hip hop albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license