Reneé Rapp Bites Back
Reneé Rapp just dropped her second studio album, BITE ME, a 12-track record she announced on May 21st after teasing it on social media with the help of celebrities like Charlize Theron. The release comes two years after her debut album, Snow Angel.
The album was supported by the release of three singles: ‘Leave Me Alone’, ‘Mad’, and ‘Why Is She Still Here?’, each one with its music video.
‘Leave Me Alone’ is a pop-rock song with a “fuck you” attitude to it. The North Carolina–based singer addresses her exit from the TV show The Sex Lives of College Girls, her label’s desire for new music, and the questioning of her own sexuality.
‘MAD’ keeps the pop-rock energy but in a more playful way, channeling sarcasm and theatrical chaos both in the lyrics and visuals.
‘Why Is She Still Here?’ is a jazz- and R&B-influenced song. The bass and guitar lay down a smooth, slow-burning groove; its music video also reflects this atmosphere. Reneé Rapp is seen in a minimalist décor, a jazz club setup with just a mic and a spotlight. The lyrics are about the complications in a relationship and betrayal. The singer is haunted by her partner’s ex, who seems to not have gotten the memo about the end of the previous relationship:
“You can tell me you don’t love her, you should probably tell her too,” she says.
‘Why Is She Still Here?’ marks a sharp shift in the artistic direction the previous singles had taken us on, since they both had a pop-rock sound. This third single reminds us of what she has done in her previous projects and slows things down. It is more introspective, more stripped-down, and a nod to the vulnerability she showed on ‘Snow Angel’.
That same vulnerability returns in ‘Sometimes’, a stripped-down ballad full of theatrical emotion. Reneé’s voice takes center stage here — powerful, broken, and honest. It’s one of the album’s most intimate moments.
And then comes ‘Kiss It Kiss It’. Without any warning, you get into an uptempo track that invites you to party. It has a retro vibe. You can immediately catch a nod to Garbage’s ‘Stupid Girl’ in the guitar riff.
‘I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore’ and ‘I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone’ provide a soft contrast. The first is polished and emotionally layered, led by electric guitar and stacked vocals. The second, meanwhile, is more acoustic. The production is stripped back, with quiet drums and open space, letting her voice float effortlessly above it all.
Although she might be sad or in the midst of a breakup, the 25-year-old talent doesn’t dwell on her pain. With ‘At Least I’m Hot’, Rapp flips the narrative with self-aware humor:
“But if I can’t be happy then at least I’m hot.”
She sings a line that is already Instagram-caption material.
To close the album, the North Carolina vocalist throws a final punch with ‘You’d Like That Wouldn’t You?’, a pop-rock blowout that throws us back to the early 2000s — think Avril Lavigne or P!nk. It’s fast, loud, guitar- and drums-heavy. A perfect chaotic end.
Overall, Rapp delivers an unapologetic and more confident version of herself in ‘BITE ME’. She reminds us that she will say whatever she wants regardless of the consequences and what people think — and all that with incredible and powerful vocals.
“Whether you like it or not, I love it,” she says in her Instagram post on release day. The singer has described it as “deeply personal” and “emotionally messy.” You can feel the messiness in the rollout of the record. It’s perfectly on-brand — the 25-year-old singer is known for her wild spirit and unpolished media personality. She even sings in ‘Leave Me Alone’:
“Sign a hundred NDAs but I still say something.”
She will start the US leg of the ‘BITE ME’ tour with Ravyn Lenae and Syd as supporting acts in September. On July 25th, she announced the tour dates for the EU & UK tour, which will begin in March 2026 in Belgium. Tickets are now on sale.
We may expect a Rapp Girl Summer, or even a Rapp Girl Autumn!
Review written by our contributor Lyndsia Alexandre-Alexis.