“Rapture” from Lavendine

“You don’t wanna be caught unaware / You don’t wanna be lost where else / And you don’t wanna be blinded by the night / Letting the world steal your sight” croons a heavenly lead vocal from behind a whispering acoustic guitar in the opening lines of the single “Rapture” from Lavendine. The words here and throughout the track inarguably reference biblical imagery, but make no mistake about it – “Rapture” has a lot more to offer than mere lyrical substance alone. In this track, Lavendine are showing off a vocal skillset that is unlike anything I’ve come across in mainstream adult contemporary music lately, and while theirs is a more specified subgenre than the blanket term would allow for, it’s attractiveness is universal this August.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lavendinemusic/?igshid=1g153sen70w1t

There isn’t a specific climax in “Rapture,” but this isn’t to suggest that it’s somehow lacking in structural depth (the opposite is true). The entire song feels tension-based and progressive constructed as to keep us guessing what’s about to befall us next, similarly to what our singers describe to us in their end of days lyrical narrative here. There’s nothing overtly forced in the mix, but there’s absolutely a sense of impending doom as we gallop through the chorus behind the lead vocals of our two singers; as it is aurally, it’s known that there is only one escape from this strife and danger in the air, and the heavy-handed sway of the chorus gives us a clear path to that very escape both lyrically and instrumentally.

PRIMARY URL: https://lavendineband.com/

Despite the cratering effect of the guitars, the vocals introduce some breathy harmonies that overwhelmingly keep things balanced as we navigate the thick channels of instrumental texture coming between the start and conclusion of “Rapture.” It feels like Lavendine were deliberately trying to avoid overthinking some of the more cosmetic-based details here in favor of keeping the spotlight on the intricacies of their sound, and I think that was probably the right move at this stage of their career together. Anyone can put together a pretty pop single these days – with a computer and some standard software, the entire process doesn’t take more than a day’s time – but to compose something full-bodied like this takes a lot more talent and tenacity, both of which these players appear to have in spades.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/22QnMBIcBzxvQB0aHPIo83?highlight=spotify:track:21j2aSWubpCAbowQFINq57

Much like its incredible parent album Feel My Way, “Rapture” is a robust jam that listeners of all backgrounds can expect to have a lot of fun with this season. Lavendine have the trappings of a CCM unit, but I can tell from this track that their capabilities aren’t restricting them to producing one strain of pop over another. They’re not finished becoming what it is they’re inevitably going to build a reputation around, but for what we can gather from a single like this one, there should be no debating whether or not they’re one of the more important duos out of Oklahoma that industry insiders should be paying some attention to right now.

Samuel Pratt