ALBUM REVIEW | Reneé Rapp – BITE ME

Reneé Rapp just released her sophomore album Bite Me today, and more than just another Gen Z pop project, it’s a statement.

It’s strong, it’s emotional, it’s angry, and it’s so real you can almost see yourself in it. If her 2022 EP Everything To Everyone and her 2023 debut album Snow Angel had mostly sad songs and beautiful yet bittersweet ballads, Bite Me is an entirely different thing.

It’s well known by now that the singer-songwriter is crazy talented. Her voice is powerful, sharp, unforgettable, but she’s also funny, really stubborn, soft, honest and this album shows all of it.

The first single released on May 21st, “Leave Me Alone,” already felt different. Her voice was colder, her words more distant and the sound angrier than what we had received so far from the Broadway-trained singer. Then came “Mad“, the catchy summer track that still carries something important on its back. And, “Why Is She Still Here?,” where she explores R&B sounds in a soft, piano bar tone.

While “That’s So Funny,” “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone” and “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” are about relationships that mattered, but also hurt her, in “At Least I’m Hot“, she lets herself be carried away by the country-pop sound and the catchy rhythm, accompanied by sarcastic background lyrics and laughter from her girlfriend, musician Towa Bird.

And that’s the magic of this album: it goes from screaming songs like “Kiss It Kiss It,” “Shy” and “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You” to whispering tracks like “Sometimes.” It’s a rollercoaster of emotions; from heartbreak and anger to love, from tiredness to power.

You can feel she put her whole heart into the record. Every word, every note feels honest. In the album credits, she notes that without her family, her friends, her team, her girlfriend, her fans and especially herself, this album wouldn’t even exist. And yet, she says she often feels very alone.

Bite Me isn’t trying to be perfect. It’s not just about parties, fame, or money. It’s about what happens when the lights go off. It’s about feeling lost, even when people think you have everything, except for self-control. We’re all a little messy. We’re all trying to survive. And if you listen close, Bite Me might make you feel a little less alone. It’s the kind of albums you can shout at the top of your lungs on the highest mountain peak.

In September, Rapp will kick off the North American leg of the Bite Me Tour with a concert at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, followed by performances at iconic venues such as New York’s Madison Square Garden and a headlining slot at the All Things Go Festival stop in Toronto. In March, the tour will continue in the UK, already SOLD OUT, and across Europe.