All too often a great band come along, release an album or two that everyone loves, change the face of a music scene then disappear into oblivion. Bet you can think of a few, yes? The Rapture are certainly high on that list. Their 2003 hit ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ was nothing short of genre defying. Indie-club playlists became interesting again, people actually started dancing at gigs and scores of guitar-based bands upped their tempo and reached for the cowbells, paving the way for crossover acts countrywide. Now, three years later The Rapture are back again to shake things up. We spoke to lead singer Luke Jenner about their new album ‘Pieces of the People We Love’, and what the hell they’ve been doing all this time…
The new album is produced by Ewan Pearson, Paul Epworth and Danger Mouse. That’s quite a combination! How did that come about?
Paul and Ewan work together as a team anyway. Paul has been a friend of the band for a long time, he was our first sound guy in the UK. Ewan did some remixes for us so we asked them if they'd do this. We thought they could both bring something interesting to the record, which they did, and it worked out great. With Danger Mouse, we just wanted something completely different from what Paul and Ewan were doing, so he jumped on board for a few songs.
How did it differ from working with DFA?
All producers are different but I think the thing that ties them all together is that essentially they are producers that all focus on rhythm. Our band is mainly about rhythm so I think that’s what ties us all together.
How does the new album differ from the last?
Well the new record is just happier. The last album was a real pain in the ass to make. It was real agonising. It took a long time. This album was just easy to make, it sort of felt a lot more natural and fun. This record sounds a lot happier and more relaxed.
We just had a good time making it, we wanted to just have a party for the next few years. We realised that from making the last record that you kind of live in the record you make. I mean, you're reviewing this coming record but it'll be my life for the next year. I've got to tour it and sing it to death. I just wanted to make sure I have a good time.
The name 'Pieces of the people we love' suggests something more personal.
We just always choose one of the song titles and we felt that title summed the record up more than any of the others. It sounds a little grander.
The new wave, dancey sound is really popular at the moment, but you guys were doing it years ago. Do you think of yourselves as being ahead of the game?
I don't know, other people say that, but I'm not sure. It’s nice because when we were doing that, when we first came out, nobody really knew what we were doing. I mean they were like – “what's this cow bell?” “What’s the saxophone all about?” Everybody was kind of like a White Stripes rip off back then. So I think it’s really nice to come back this time and not have to explain ourselves any more, everybody else has explained things for us. Times have changed, it feels like we're coming home. People get it now, whereas before we used to have to get people to understand what we were trying to do.
Do you think of yourselves as being an influential group?
I don't know, I mean I've always hoped that we make records that were relevant for longer than the immediate release date. I think ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ was an influential record, and I'm happy about that. No matter what else we do at least we have that record under our belt, at least we have a small place in history.
Is that your favourite Rapture record?
Actually I hated it when it came out. I felt like I wanted the delays on the guitars to work differently and the DFA guys were like, “no it works fine as it is,” they persuaded me to leave it as it was. It came out and it was fine, so, I'm glad I did.
What advice would you give to a band just starting out that might be influenced by you?
I think the most important thing about being in a band is that number one, splitting the publishing is crucial. If you can't split the publishing equally then you're in a band with the wrong people. Be in a band with your best friends and then eventually they'll learn how to play music well, just stick to it. Don't just be in a band with people because you think they're cool. Be in a band with people that are your friends and you want to spend a lot of time with, because that's what being in a band is, spending a lot of time with somebody. You can always just give somebody a record and say "this is a good record" but if they're your friend they'll really listen to it.
Back in the early days when you were just getting into music and wanted to play music, who or what inspired you?
Well when I was a kid everything seemed so unattainable. You'd listen to U2 or the Cure and it didn't seem realistic. Led Zeppelin didn't seem realistic. I couldn't imagine myself on stage in that band. I guess it was really when Nirvana came around that I started to get into my local bands around town and went to go and see people play for about five people, who were around about my age. I just thought, I can do that, I can play in a coffee shop for a small crowd. That was really empowering. I saw people that put out their own records, that whole DIY culture was inspiring. That's what made it acceptable to me.
What has inspired you recently?
I guess the big influence has just been travelling the world for a few years. What I like about doing interviews and all that kind of stuff is that I didn't realise most of the best things about my band until somebody else told me 'this is what's good about you'. You just don't see it when you're so close to it and getting a lot of feedback and realising what it is that actually makes us good. Those things influence you. You build on them.
What music have you been listening to lately?
We just did a celebrity playlist for something. Every track that my bandmates picked, I just went out and listened to that. One of the things was this Aaliyah song called ‘Four Page Letter’. Gabe picked that. Gabe's favourite artist of all time is Timberland, so he just thinks he's the coolest thing ever. Gabe sent over some stuff that he did on his computer last night, so hopefully that'll turn into a song. I'm a big metal fan - real 80s thrash metal. I've been listening again to Exodus' first record and this Destruction record called ‘Infernal Overkill’. Real horrible eighties thrash.
What to you think about the current Neu-Rave genre?
I'm excited about that. I think it's a lot more interesting than the whole disco punk thing. I think that was kind of boring. New Rave has a bit more depth to it. I'm happy to come over to England and check it out. I like the Klaxons, Klaxons are great. I've been on Myspace emailing with them, saying hello and stuff. That’s the thing about Myspace, you can just get hold of anybody.
You must have been partying a lot in your three-year break. What are the best parties you've been to?
I really like this party called Making Time in Philadelphia. I feel like it’s the best party in New York. I suppose its not really in New York, but a lot of people go down and have a really great time. It’s kind of like places in Berlin and what Optimo do in Glasgow, we like that. People go there no matter what is happening to have a good time. I think that’s the problem with most parties, people go there to be impressed or whatever. What makes a good party is when people just go to it and have a good time no matter what.
What is the future looking like for The Rapture?
I don't know. I'd like to be with them for the rest of my life, if only because I'm addicted to performing, I love it. I love playing music and being on stage is such a drug. Having had that kind of thing you never want to lose it. You can see why Hollywood people that are really famous and majorly in the public eye just never want to lose it. It’s just a really good feeling. I hope that we'll always be able to perform and that'll always be part of my life.
The Rapture are on tour throughout the UK during October.
Words: Charlotte Dunckley
Illustration by Julien - Delarocca