The Rapture (band)

The Rapture
The Rapture performing at the 2011 Southbound Festival
Background information
Origin	New York, New York, United States
Genres	Dance-punk indie rock post-punk revival electronica alternative dance art punk[1]
Years active	1998–2014 2019–2021
Labels	DFA Vertigo Universal Sub Pop Gravity
Members	Luke Jenner Vito Roccoforte Gabriel Andruzzi
Past members	Mattie Safer Brooks Bonstin Christopher Relyea

The Rapture was an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1998. During their reunion, the band consisted of Luke Jenner (lead vocals, guitar), Vito Roccoforte (drums, percussion), and Gabriel Andruzzi (keyboards, bass, saxophone, percussion). The classic lineup (1999–2009) added Mattie Safer playing bass and sharing lead vocal duties with Jenner. Safer and Jenner's harmonized choruses became part of the signature sound of the band, featuring on several of the band’s more well known songs.

The band mixed influences from many genres including dance-punk, post-punk, acid house, disco, and electronica. They were forerunners of the post-punk revival during the early 2000s, as they mixed their early post-punk sound with electronic and dance elements. The band has acknowledged that their music draws on themes of Christianity.^[2]

The band began by releasing a mini-album, Mirror, in January 1999, under Gravity Records. Afterward, in 2001, the band signed to Sub Pop and released the EP Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks. The band released the song "House of Jealous Lovers" in 2002 under their new record label DFA Records. After a re-release of the song, it peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003 and received critical acclaim. Later that year, the band released their first full-length studio album, Echoes. The band released their second studio album, Pieces of the People We Love, in 2006 under Universal Records and Vertigo Records, featuring production from Danger Mouse, Paul Epworth, and Ewan Pearson.

The band entered a small hiatus in 2008 after band member Luke Jenner left the band, but he eventually returned to the band after 8 months. Mattie Safer, the band's long time bassist and vocalist, also left the band permanently in 2009. After a re-signing to DFA Records, the band released their third studio album, In the Grace of Your Love, in September 2011, which was their first studio album in five years. In 2014, it was revealed that the Rapture had disbanded, though no official statement had been made. The band later reunited in 2019 without Safer.^[3]