The first disc's instrumentation was performed entirely on a Roland V-Drum kit by drummer Zach Hill and features chopped vocal samples of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk on every track.

It features Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos, and Zach's former Legs on Earth band mate, Julian Imsdahl, on guitar and organ respectively.

[7] Death Grips officially announced the completion of The Powers That B via their Facebook page, as well as revealing the album artwork in October.

[10] It showed the group, rehearsing the following songs: "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States", "Inanimate Sensation", "Turned Off", "Why a Bitch Gotta Lie" and "Lock Your Doors".

[12][13] On March 12, Death Grips released a video to their YouTube channel for the song "On GP", filmed in an echo chamber located in Studio 1, Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California which pictures them in an almost empty room (except for an Altec Lansing A7 loudspeaker) to be almost completely still except for some subtle movement from time to time.

[14] The official music video for "On GP" was released a day later,[15] featuring various magic tricks performed by Sacramento magician Russell Brown.

He also described the disc as "an exciting ride" and further wrote: "By virtue of being divisive as all hell, Death Grips have welcomed us back to their jungle.

"[37] Larry Fitzmaurice for Pitchfork described the disc as "the band's least intense album," and stated: "it's hard to shake the feeling that Death Grips might benefit from a change in aesthetic and conceptual focus...

Without new tricks and fresh aggression, Death Grips risk coming across as safe and ordinary, a mess of broken teeth summarily replaced by a gap-toothed smile.

described the lyrical nature of the second disc as "representative of outward action and thought more than internalization," writing that the incorporation of live instruments is a welcome addition alongside the group's aggressive electronics.