The Rapture
In the Grace of Your Love
(DFA)

Those ads on the subway weren’t entirely wrong, The Rapture came after all. In the five years since their last album I’m sure there were plenty of skeptics on the subject. Consider this the second coming.

Dance/punk generally isn’t thought of as being sincere. Fun, yes, but not the most serious genre of music. In the Grace of Your Love is surprising in that the lyrics are highly introspective. Death is a common theme amongst this body of songs, which is no surprise considering the recent suicide of front man Luke Jenner’s mother. During the title track Jenner sings, “don’t want you dead” and then the very next song is called “Never Die Again.” On “Can You Find a Way?” he’s pleading with someone to cope with the world. But don’t be afraid that the album is a total gloom-fest. It’s just as danceable as anyone could hope for. Songs like “Come Back to Me” and “How Deep is Your Love?” are club ready. Just be prepared to do some contemplation while you’re getting down. Even a song like “Roller Coaster,” which sounds silly and fun at first turns out to actually be about a difficult relationship.

In the end, the darkness lifts after all. “It Takes Time to Be a Man” is The Rapture’s musical version of a consoling hug. Over a happy little piano figure, Jenner and the boys say “there, there” (in so many words) for five minutes before quite literally singing “Hallelujah.” That might sound cheesy to you. It’s not. It’s positively life-affirming and after listening to the rest of the album, you’ll need it.