The Rapture is an indie rock band based in New York City. The band mixes influences from many genres including post-punk, dance-punk, acid house, disco, electronica and rock.

History

The Rapture formed in 1998 by drummer Vito Roccoforte and guitarist/vocalist Luke Jenner. In 1999 the band released its debut 'mini-album', Mirror. Following this release, the band relocated to New York. They were finally joined by Matt Safer having gone through five keyboard players and two bassists in an eighteen-month period. After touring extensively for two years, the band released the six-song EP Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks on the Sub Pop label, with the lead track featuring in the film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel The Rules Of Attraction. The Rapture were forerunners of the post-punk revival of the early 2000s, as they mixed their early post-punk sound with electronic and dance elements via their collaboration with the celebrated New York production team DFA. Multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi joined the band in 2002. Their first full-length record, Echoes, was released to critical acclaim in 2003, including album of the year by pitchforkmedia.com.

In January 2004, the Rapture acted as main support to Funeral for a Friend on the NME Awards Tour, alongside other burgeoning acts Franz Ferdinand and The Von Bondies. Later that year, the band toured on the main stage of the Curiosa Festival alongside Interpol, Scarling., Mogwai, Cursive, Thursday, The Cooper Temple Clause, Head Automatica, and their own idols, The Cure.

Also in 2004, the band released a DVD, Is Live, and Well, in New York City through DFA Records/Mercury Records Limited.

The Rapture released their second full-length album, Pieces of the People We Love, on Universal Motown Records in September 2006. Paul Epworth, Ewan Pearson and Danger Mouse produced the album. The new album displays a more polished and markedly less angular sound to their previous work, receiving a mixed critical reception.

The Rapture supported The Killers on the London leg of their tour at the Carling Academy Brixton from 26 November 2006 to 28 November 2006 and Daft Punk on the North American leg of their tour in 2007.

No Sex For Ben is featured on The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV CD that is bundled with the special edition.

The song "Echoes" plays in a scene of the movie Superbad.

The song "The Devil" plays in a scene during the episode "Rocket Club" in the television series Aliens in America

Similar bands in the same NY scene / dance punk genre include Radio 4 and !!!.

Their song, “Whoo! Alright, Yeah…Uh Huh” is the official anthem for Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer.