Reneé Rapp Bites Back On Her Sophomore Album, Bite Me
Two years after her first album, Snow Angel, Reneé Rapp has returned in full force with a feisty new era.
Bite Me explores more intricacies of relationships and musical styles, all while leaning into Rapp’s reputation for being charmingly loud-mouthed and unfiltered.
Leave Me Alone was released in May as the album’s lead single. It is bold and outrageous, opening with the lyric, “I’m a real bad girl but a real good kisser”. Its edgier musical sound with a grungy guitar mimicking the vocal melody complements Rapp’s reckless reputation in breaking the fourth wall. She does this particularly in the second verse about her manager, releasing singles, and signing NDAs—and even throws shade at her old TV show, The Sex Lives of College Girls.
The second single, Mad, was released at the end of June. This upbeat song about fighting and wanting to make up in a relationship is candid about the push and pull between heightened negative emotions and sexual desire. At the same time, the addicting chorus melody shows off Rapp’s vocal range and high belt. Why Is She Still Here? was the final single released ahead of the album. Its minor key and 6/8 time signature give the song a unique jazzy R&B feel, which is further enhanced by the melodic variations and high notes. The song is about being the person that someone is cheating on their partner with and expressing frustration at the continuing infidelity. In the second chorus, the speaker switches the question to wonder why she herself is staying in the situation.
Sometimes is a piano ballad that represents a more sombre, emotional side to the previous track: “It’s killing me, having you sometimes”. The vulnerability of this song matches its delicate sound and Rapp’s use of her head voice. Kiss It Kiss It brings the album back into a sexy, upbeat mood. The song follows a hookup and is framed somewhat comedically, with Rapp playing into the lesbian stereotype of the first date lasting multiple days, as well as the background vocal of “yeehaw” at the mention of a rodeo. With another new sound, Good Girl leans into an 80s retro style with dark synths. The song is about a muse who is a bad influence on the speaker, who was previously a “good girl”. Beyond the light-hearted subject matter of this relationship, the song touches on the slightly more serious theme of societal reputations and expectations for women in the public eye that Rapp pushes back on.
The following song also seems to pick up from the last in its discussion of an irresistible muse causing the speaker to make bad choices. The bare bones instrumentation of I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore reflects the honesty of the lyrics discussing the dangerous waters of intimacy and infidelity—particularly the vulnerable bridge. Shy is an upbeat poppy song about falling in love and witnessing someone change your behaviour on account of romantic feelings. She asserts her confidence in these feelings for the muse with the tagline, “I’m really not scared, I’m just a little bit shy”. At the same time, she talks around sexual innuendos with a clever nursery-rhyme-style chanty bridge because she is still “shy”.
In a departure from the theme of relationships, At Least I’m Hot is an introspective song about personal struggles and life challenges. Rapp takes a light-hearted approach to this subject matter, embracing her confident attitude as a silver lining: “Life’s a bitch, well, so am I”. Her quick talk-singing with a rap-style beat emulates this stress while leaning into R&B again, with this song sonically reminiscent of Estelle’s American Boy. The second verse also contains a brief cameo from Towa Bird, Rapp’s girlfriend. I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone is about realising that something is wrong in a relationship because you feel relief when they are gone. The acoustic guitar and soft vocals are filled out by an early 2000s beat.
A dark minor chromatic sound establishes That’s So Funny as a tragic but ironic song about a relationship gone wrong. Rapp shouts out one of her best friends, Alyah Chanelle Scott, for looking out for her when she did not recognise that she was being manipulated. She expresses disbelief at this intense betrayal in retrospect, with a big emotional catharsis on the belted second chorus. To close out the album, You’d Like That Wouldn’t You teases a bitter ex, dangling their mistakes over them with an upbeat rock sound. The key change from the verse to the loud chorus emphasises the contrast between the setup and the punch as the speaker gets the last laugh. The final line of the bridge speaks volumes: “The thought of gettin’ back together makes me wanna die alone”.
Bite Me is a bold new album from Rapp, and her experimentation with different sounds and musical styles is refreshing and exciting. The songs manage to both reinforce her cheeky attitude and reveal emotional vulnerability in a way that embraces honesty and her unfiltered personality. Rapp’s incredible vocal ability and musical versatility ensure her place in both queer music and current pop music as a whole.
