Label: Polydor Records
Released: 1st August 2025
‘BITE ME’ is a lesson in unflinching pop excellence – a full spectrum of emotions on display with no dilution or dulling down, Reneé Rapp’s second record sees her at the top of her game. Constantly shifting but relentlessly infectious, she pulls from all different pools of influence, 80s synths, alt-rock and early noughties R&B all sitting side by side. Despite the chameleonic nature of the album, it is drawn together through an unfiltered authenticity.
Every emotion is felt to its absolute maximum, and there is absolutely no holding back. Whether it’s the barely contained yell in the background of ‘Good Girl’, or the tongue-in-cheek comments delivered with a shrug and a mischievous smirk on ‘You’d Like That Wouldn’t You’, every thought and feeling is on display, and it makes for a refreshing, invigorating listen. ‘Shy’, in its cheer-chanting, feet-kicking depiction of that unshakeable exterior being cracked open in love, sees her nervously giddy, whilst her vocals are darkly venomous on ‘Why Is She Still Here?’, a more sardonic, frustrated moment on the album.
Her debut album, ‘Snow Angel’, was a showing of capability and an outpouring of everything that got her to that point. ‘BITE ME’, however, leans into the chaos a bit more – it’s more playful, more willing to have fun and embrace the messiness that comes alongside that. She lets rage spill to the surface and finds catharsis in it on ‘Mad’, arguably a highlight of the album, but she also throws caution to the wind on ‘Good Girl’ and rejoices in that energy. It’s willing to be vulnerable, but seems to acknowledge the levity that vulnerability brings. There’s a freedom to ‘BITE ME’ that feels new for Reneé Rapp – it’s a record that is cut from her very core, completely on her own terms, with all her cards on the table, and it is in that environment that she thrives.
Leave a Reply