The Rapture was an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1998. During their reunion, the band consisted of Luke Jenner, Vito Roccoforte, and Gabriel Andruzzi. The classic lineup 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.
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.