Reneé Rapp is Hot, Heartbroken, & Done Taking Sh*t on her Sophomore Album 'BITE ME'
- Abby Anderson
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
Stand-out tracks: "Leave Me Alone" "Why Is She Still Here?' "Mad"
Our favorites: "Kiss It Kiss It" "Good Girl" "You'd Like That Wouldn't You"
Release date: August 1, 2025
Label: Interscope Records
For fans of: Chappell Roan, FLETCHER, Charli XCX
Unruly, theatrical, seductively bratty, built for girls (and gays) with god complexes and good taste - Reneé Rapp's BITE ME, released August 1 via Interscope Records, is rock solid proof that this is a star laughing in the face of the idea of a sophomore slump. Fizzing with flirtation and heartbreak, flipping between kiss-me-now desperation and leave-me-the-hell-alone attitude without ever losing its footing, BITE ME is an end-of-summer scorcher - a feral hot girl tantrum that commands attention.
With writing credits from pop giants Ali Tamposi and Julian Bunetta, BITE ME is polished, punchy, and unapologetically chaotic. Reneé Rapp is mad, she's heartbroken, she's definitely hotter than you—and she's got the songs to prove it.
Opening track “Leave Me Alone” crashes through the door like the first truly chaotic girl to arrive at the party. A cocktail of jagged guitar riffs and snarky one-liners, (see: “Sign a hundred NDAs but I still say something” and “Leave me alone bitch, I wanna have fun"), this is Reneé Rapp in full, combustible form: hot, jaded, and wildly entertaining.
The chaos doesn’t cool down on “Mad,” which pairs Reneé's immaculate vocals with a guitar-laced confessional about pride poisoning intimacy. “I wish I could take that pretty little face / And shake some sense into you” is exactly the kind of elegant insult you wish you’d thought of during an argument. And the closer? A quietly whispered, “Could’ve been getting head," uttered with the casual devastation of a woman who’s made peace with her villainy. And she doesn't stop there; on “Why Is She Still Here?”, Rapp shapeshifts into a pop-R&B siren with the kind of vocal command that makes you question your own free will. The track is drenched in velvet arrogance as she taunts, “What more do you need when you got me right here?” And honestly? Excellent question.
But Rapp’s heartbreak ballads are just as cutting as her cockier moments. “Sometimes” is devastating in a quiet, knife-twisting way (raise your hand if “If you still want her / Then leave me here by myself” hits way too hard). “Shy” throws it back to Snow Angel territory, with guitar-led simplicity and whispery vocals that hint at her Broadway past.
But don’t worry—she’s not sad all the time. “Kiss It Kiss It” shimmers with disco flirtation and that dangerous kind of desire that should come with a warning label; this is something of a modernized ABBA's "Voulez-vous."
And if your Mamma Mia summer fix wasn't satisfied yet, “Good Girl” is the steamy summer-night anthem for when your hair's sticking to your neck, your lip gloss is melting, and you're falling in love with a stranger who probably has commitment issues. It’s all heat: “I wasn’t planning on dancing till the sun came up… until you showed up.” Ugh. Yes, Reneé.
“At Least I’m Hot” brings the sass back fast, with a funky, sultry energy that feels like it belongs in a lesbian Barbie Dreamhouse afterparty. It’s like “Leave Me Alone” got soft, then petty, then hot again. Honestly, if this doesn’t soundtrack the next queer rom-com, what are we even doing?
And finally, the cherry on top: “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You.” This is Reneé in full unbothered mode—grungy, 2000s pop-rock production with the emotional maturity of a girl group throwing shade in matching crop tops. Consider this your official warning: Reneé Rapp isn’t here to be polite. She’s here to be iconic—and she wants you to know she looks great while doing it. So with lines like, “The thought of getting back together makes me wanna die alone," BITE ME closes in the most carefree yet calculated way - much like Reneé Rapp herself.
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