Catchy songs are muddied by uneven sound in Rapp’s new album
On August 1st, 2025, Reneé Rapp released her second pop album “Bite Me”, a fearlessly explicit display of love, rage, and yearning. The record offers a shocking insight into Rapp’s personal life, songs switching from slow and emotional to lighthearted and blunt. It serves as an embrace of her identity and a shift from the calmer tone of her previous album “Snow Angel”. Although each song was an enjoyable listen, the abrupt changes in sound made the album as a whole feel incomplete.
The album opens with the lead single “Leave Me Alone”, an upbeat and sexually explicit song that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The song is bold and unapologetic, lyrics like “can I tell you a secret / I’m so sick of it all” repeating in the chorus. While it definitely isn’t for everyone, “Leave Me Alone” is incredibly catchy and quickly became Rapp’s most popular song. The song’s memorable beat and appealing chorus has been stuck in my head for days.
The next song, “Mad”, takes an abrupt 180 from “Leave Me Alone”. It is more lyrical and moody and focuses on Rapp’s frustration with someone she is attracted to. The tempo and instrumentals fluctuate in intensity, highlighting Rapp’s conflicting emotions. This immediate transition was jarring and felt rather forced.
The following song, “Why Is She Still Here?”, leans deeper into “Mad”’s expression of anger and sadness. Rapp sings about being “the other woman” in a relationship, the song’s title referring to the person you love staying with her girlfriend despite telling you otherwise. “Sometimes” entertains the same theme as “Why Is She Still Here?”. The piano and Rapp’s voice in “Sometimes” struck me as particularly pleasing to listen to.
Succeeding this song, “Kiss It Kiss It” falls back into the same sound as “Leave Me Alone”, shocking its listeners and leaving a cheery impression. This song feels like something you would listen to on a car ride in the summer, the beat sounding light and memorable. Following “Kiss It Kiss It” is “Good Girl”, which sounds very similar.
Next, “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” is about having a relationship with someone that is less than dating, but more than just friends. It jerks listeners back into the sadder, yearning sound of “Sometimes” and “Why Is She Still Here?” This song felt repetitive, especially after listening to earlier songs in the album.
Reneé Rapp stares defiantly from the cover of her third studio album, "Bite Me" Photo courtesy of Interscope Records.
Following “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” is “Shy”, which, you guessed it, is jarringly more upbeat than the song before it. The lyrics float around the idea of new love and desire, returning to the album’s opening boldness.
Sticking to this tone for another song, “At Least I’m Hot” recites Rapp’s carefree attitude, even through hardship, singing “if I can’t be happy, then at least I’m hot / if I’m gonna cry, then at least I’m hot.”
Back to a feeling of yearning, “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone” follows “At Least I’m Hot”. Rapp’s voice is different in this song, seeming to not meet her full potential over the light strumming of a guitar. Its catchy lyrics tell a story about the complexities of a long-distance relationship and letting go of love.
The second-to-last song, “That’s So Funny”, dives further into the moody and resentful sound in previous songs. The vocals make up for what was lost in “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone”, building up to powerful, angry lines about feeling betrayed after a relationship.
With one last whiplash of uneven sound, “Bite Me” closes with “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You”, a playful and blunt expression of disdain toward an ex-girlfriend. Rapp leans more into punk-rock for this song, catchy drums and a passionate voice making this a fun end to the album.
Reneé Rapp’s “Bite Me” serves its purpose almost perfectly: a shocking display of who Rapp is and how she feels. Each song is charged with intense passion, making it easy to listen to them over and over. When you see the album as a whole, however, the beauty of individual songs begins to falter. I found the inconsistencies in sound to be confusing and rather frustrating. Despite its good qualities, I could not see myself listening to the album in my spare time.
All this to say, “Bite Me” has earned its attention and I look forward to seeing what Reneé Rapp will do next. Its fierceness is certainly worth a listen.
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