In The Grace Of Your Love
DFA Records
By Justin Lyons
Five years after Pieces of the People We Love, NYC’s The Rapture returns with In The Grace of Your Love, an album that expounds upon the band’s flair for dance punk. There are more traditional instruments than the last outing, but most tracks are still electronic based at heart. The trio’s penchant for crafting addictive hooks over danceable beats tailored for Luke Jenner’s semi-falsetto vocals make for a solid follow-up.
The Rapture gives garage rock a try (“Blue Bird”) and even delves into their post punk roots (“Children”, “Roller Coaster”). When lead singer Luke Jenner bemoans “you’re the only thing I get out of bed for these days” on “Roller Coaster”, it truly sounds like a groundhog day scenario of a relationship that never really gets on the right track. “Come Back to Me” utilizes infectious accordion-based synth, vocal distortion and call and response throughout. The repetitive hook “are we all children” seems fitting for the carousel gone out of control beat. The experimentation never feels forced, even on “It Takes Time to Be a Man”, a jazzy cut featuring a soulful looped piano riff. Jenner has always sang like he had the heart of an R&B singer, but has never sounded more appropriate.
Some of the best moments come as disco-flavored remnants from Pieces…. “Miss You” has inescapable driving bass guitar mixed with handclaps, while the title track and “Never Gonna Die Again” turns the funk up a notch with horns and crashing cymbals. Banging drum and paced piano keys are guided by a surging saxophone that is as hypnotic as possible in standout cut “How Deep is Your Love.”
With diversified sounds and infectious melodies that circulate listener’s minds, even if they are only half-listening, In The Grace Of Your Love is nearly as memorable as The Rapture’s last effort.
