If you’re a fan of adult contemporary crossovers with a gospel twist, you need to give Lavendine and their single “Rapture” a close listen this summer. Acquiring a lot of buzz from the indie press, “Rapture” fuses together some of the best elements from pop, adult contemporary rock and CCM to bridge the gap between the secular and the spiritual for what is an inarguable thrill ride for anyone who loves potent melodicism. As much a Christian anthem as it is a powerful look into what pop/rock can still be in our modern times, you don’t have to worry about running into synthetic materials when spinning this single – if anything, Lavendine’s competition would be smart to take note of their natural charms.
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From the time we press play to the second in which the music disappears once more, “Rapture” is all about its larger than life vocal harmonies, with some of its best coming closer to the conclusion than the beginning. Rich and full of a tonal emotionality that extends from our twin singers to the timbre of the percussion and beyond, the serenade is the staple component holding the arrangement together with velvety verses and passion-filled poetry that doesn’t lean on biblical imagery exclusively. Lavendine know how to be evocative in their execution as well as their foundational lyricism, which isn’t something that a lot of their peers master so soon out of their start as they did in the release of their debut album a number of years ago.
I would normally want a little more bass out of a track mixed in the style this one was, but in the case of “Rapture,” there’s so much brawn to the electric guitar riffing in the chorus that I don’t really see the need for a heavier backend. There’s already a lot of push to the swing in the percussion, and while I’d typically get the vocals a bit louder over the guitars as we hit the climax, they’re equally matched here as to provoke a whirlpool-style effect, ripping us asunder with the rhythm as we move into the next stanza of lyrics. They might not be working with major label money, but Lavendine are absolutely working with the skillsets of true stars.
Brooding and relentlessly melodic in all of the right areas, “Rapture” is more than a hit for its two incredibly talented singers – it’s a slam dunk for adult contemporary buffs in general. There hasn’t been a lot to get excited about in the genre since the advent presented by big-budget artists way back in the early 2000s, but if they have their way, Lavendine are going to change that narrative for the positive with their work. “Rapture” has the right elements to please a lot of gospel, pop/rock and easy-listening listeners this summer, and even though fans of those three styles almost never agree on what station to listen to in the car, this just might be the song to bring them together in the best way possible.
Jodi Marxbury