Manta Ray Music

These guys don’t mess around. For the release of their UK Debut “Involver”, Berlin-based band The Rain decided to move to London. While singer/guitarist Lorenz Theuer and bassist Carlos Bruck barely managed to pay the rent for their tiny two-bed room in West London, they certainly knew how to make the most out of living in the Mecca of Pop Music. They played over 40 gigs in the London area (Barfly, Metro, Cuckoo Club, Proud Gallery) before touring through England, Scotland and Wales. BBC Radio One’s Collin Murray played “Big Lie” over months, and even voted it #10 of his 25 Favourite Singles Of The Year 2006! “Big Lie” was also played on MTV2. Tuned Magazine wrote “Instantly catchy … this record is so good” and Kerrang! “Razor sharp, incisive, angular rock for people with heads and hearts”.

The Rain moved back to Berlin for the German release of “Involver” (March ’08). Here they met Daniel Schroeteler, who is now the drummer of the band. Schroeteler studied jazz and contemporary music in Arnhem, NL, and his feel for music adds perfectly to the diverse guitar-bass combinations of Theuer and Bruck. After only a few weeks in Berlin, The Rain had already played shows in several clubs, and won over an enthusiastic crowd of believers.

The complex style, rooted in Brit-Pop, Grunge and Alternative, has its own independent sound. It calls out to the party-loving dance squad, as well as the depth-seeking loner. Each of the eleven titles of “Involver” has a different structure, a theme is taken through three to four minutes, taken to the top and finally finished. And it leaves you asking for more. With songs that are held together by melodic guitar-bass grooves, punching drums and the incomparable voice of Lorenz Theuer, which cuts through in a shifting balance of rage and sweetness, The Rain’s music simmers with emotion. The album was produced by Teo Miller, who worked on Placebo’s early gems (.Pure Morning., Every Me and Every You.) as well as on UK staple bands like Blur.

Lorenz Theuer wrote most of the music and lyrics for “Involver”. Its poetic and artistic lyrics have a captivating power. “Beer Over Wine” for example analyzes the egoism in the western world, “Big Lie” questions the meaning of truth and lies, “Symmetry” explores the depth of contradictions within one personality. How fitting that the album cover shows a human brain’s activity through a nuclear-spin tomograph, since The Rain’s songs provide plenty of food for thought. And of course, the band’s name has a meaning too. “Carlos brought that name back from his stay in Washington, D.C.”, says Lorenz. “I liked it especially because it is so complex. Depending on where you are, the rain can mean a lot of different things to you…”