The classic lineup (1999–2009) added Mattie Safer playing bass and sharing lead vocal duties with Jenner.

The band mixed influences from many genres including dance-punk, post-punk, acid house, disco, and electronica.

After a re-release of the song, it peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003 and received critical acclaim.

After having his house burned down by drug dealers, their bass player suggested they move to Seattle because he had better music contacts there.

In five months between January and May '99, the band spent more time getting drunk than writing songs, but they did manage to get a record deal from Sub Pop.

After releasing Mirror, they decided it would be best to move to New York, where they slept in a van that they had bought with money from the label.

[8] It was in New York that bassist and vocalist Mattie Safer, a freshman studying jazz at NYU[9] joined the band.

He joined the band in the fall of 1999, prior to the 2001 release of the six-song EP Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks on Sub Pop.

[citation needed] Multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi, who is also Safer's cousin,[12] joined the band full-time after the record was completed to help tour.

In the wake of the success of "House of Jealous Lovers", The Rapture opened for the Sex Pistols in a football stadium in England, and underwent a large major bidding war eventually signing with Vertigo Records out of the UK and Strummer Records (a Gary Gersh Label) both owned by Universal Music.

Later that year, the band toured on the main stage of the Curiosa Festival alongside Interpol, Mogwai, and The Cure.

The Rapture released their second full-length album, Pieces of the People We Love, on Universal Motown Records in September 2006 after Strummer folded.

In an interview with Dave Owen of Access All Areas and I Can't Breathe Media, Luke Jenner stated that Justin Timberlake originally sang on the track "No Sex For Ben" that the band recorded for 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV video game soundtrack: "We were recording with Timbaland, 'cause he beatboxes on the track and Justin was upstairs with Duran Duran and he came down and sang [backing vocals] on the track [with Safer on lead vocals], but when we got it back from the label someone had removed JT's vocals.

"[14] In contrast, Vito Roccoforte stated his dissatisfaction with the song by saying, "It just didn’t make any fucking sense to me because it was the total antithesis of what I felt musically I wanted to do or what we should be doing.

[17] In the days following Safer's departure Dave Owen[18] caught up with Luke Jenner who said that the split was amicable.

Expressing interest in Safer's R&B-influenced music, in 2011 Epworth signed him to the new label he was starting, Wolf Tone.

"[23] Jonathan Galkin, manager of DFA Records, seemingly confirmed that the band had indeed broken up by saying, "I kept thinking it might blow over, but that might not be the case.

'"[24] In late 2014, Jenner asserted that while the band had never released an official statement about breaking up and that Galkin's comments being picked up by the media had led to that assumption, there were issues that needed to be resolved before they could make new music again.

I thought we played really really well, the audience was fantastic and full of love and we felt lucky every night to be onstage.

There was a deep schism; at night we weren't on speaking terms with Luke yet during the day we were arguing about how to and if we should announce our break up.

[31] In 2015, Roccoforte formed Body Music, a duo with DJ and producer Benjamin "Bosq" Woods of Whiskey Barons.

[30] In 2018, Jenner started the band Seedy Films with three friends whose taste he admired but had never played music before.

"[29] Roccoforte also started playing shows with Wah Together, a new rock band which also consists of guitarist Steve Schiltz (Longwave, bassist Phil Mossman LCD Soundsystem and vocalist Jaiko Suzuki.

Poolside co-founder Jeffrey Paradise said in a statement, "Vito and Mattie are the backbone and rhythm section from one of my favorite bands ever: The Rapture.

In a statement, Jenner explained the group's reunion after over five years: It’s been this long gritty road trying to figure out how to be a father and a husband which seemed a lot more important than standing on stage in front of anyone.

We went to therapy, we talked it out, it’s still a little weird, but I couldn’t do it if I didn’t feel like it was gonna be some kinda personal progress.

[3]Both Roccoforte[37] and Andruzzi[38] confirmed their participation in the reunion via social media, as did Harris Klahr[39] who would be resuming bass-playing duties for the band's live shows that he had assumed after Safer's departure.

Luke Jenner is now a professional life coach, and in 2023, he stated that he was not in communication with his band mates and he is no longer recording music.