AMG Review of Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks

Tom Semioli
All Music Guide

Described by the band as a "sonic death groove," this EP from art punk trio the Rapture is a funky and noisy affair. Luke Jenner's shards of ear-splitting guitar cacophony recall the sonic youth of Lou Reed and Tom Verlaine while bassist Matty Safer pushes Vito Roccoforte's bumpy rhythms à la the primitive Talking Heads with reckless abandon. Though there are no melodies to be found in any of the tracks, and the lyrics are screamed rather than sung, this collection is a brief yet captivating assault on the senses that says what is has to in short sharp shocks. If the selections were a nano-second longer they would smack of self-indulgence.