Reneé Rapp’s “BITE ME” bares its teeth

Reneé Rapp is living every theater kid’s dream. Her star-making win at the 2018 Jimmy Awards has taken her from Broadway to film/TV to becoming the gay pop supernova that haunts Jojo Siwa’s dreams. With a high soprano belt and an infamous “fuck it” attitude, Rapp has staked her claim as a Gen Z queer icon. Her sophomore album, BITE ME, released in August, is a potent combo of said belt and attitude that leaves plenty of teeth marks, but stops short of drawing blood.

BITE ME has a one-track mind. Much like her Broadway alter ego, Regina George, Rapp is in the front seat and telling us to “get in, loser.” Most of the time, it’s great fun coming along for the ride.

Rapp is inviting us all to a debaucherous night out, and has seemingly no qualms about the parasocial nature that accompanies it. The album follows this trajectory: Rapp turns her baser instincts up to 11, then takes a beat or two for some reflection, before deciding that she’s too hot to care for very long.

The three lead singles, “Leave Me Alone,” “Mad,” and “Why Is She Still Here?” set us up for a night full of fun and ill-advised decisions, with “Leave Me Alone” directly calling out Rapp’s previous employer, HBO’s The Sex Lives Of College Girls (“I took my sex life with me/now the show ain’t fucking”).

“Sometimes” pulls us out of the club into a soulful ballad about a lackluster relationship, while “Kiss It Kiss It” drags us straight into the bedroom for the catchiest NSFW track of the summer. “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” walks a fine line between platonic friend and illicit lover, while “At Least I’m Hot” practically gift-wraps a vocal solo from her girlfriend, guitarist Towa Bird, for her ravenous fanbase.

The music, produced in large part by Alexander 23, has a firm grasp on the club thumps and the hooks that come with it. Rapp continues to showcase the impenetrable wall of sound that is her voice, which works the best when she pairs it with the right kind of lyrics; the sapphic yearning of “Sometimes,” the grimy disdain of “Why Is She Still Here?” and the cheeky wink of “Shy” are her strongest examples. (I can’t help but think of the Golden Age theater song “Shy” from Once Upon a Mattress, which uses a similar kind of dry irony, albeit in a much more family-friendly manner.)

Where the album struggles to stick the landing is when it runs out of things to say. Coming in at just over 30 minutes, BITE ME‘s thesis statement is obvious — here, and queer, and we better get used to it fast — but so what?

Rapp’s 2023 debut album, Snow Angel, was a similar kind of brash, but covered a broader spectrum of feelings and experiences. There was an earnestness to all of it that felt fun, fresh, and the right kind of familiar. BITE ME confidently tells us things we already know. Yes, we know Rapp has plenty of thoughts regarding her time on HBO. Yes, we know she is dating Towa Bird. Rapp has provided us with so much parasocial detail that, after a few laughs at her expense, we run out of things to be shocked by.

BITE ME is like a one-night stand. It’s hot, it’s flirty, its motives are questionable, and it knows how to show you a good time. But just before you can catch feelings, it disappears into the night, not bothering to leave so much as a phone number or an Instagram handle (although Rapp’s 3 million strong Insta begs to differ). Some might be fine with this, while others might want a little more pillow talk, or at least the offer of breakfast. Rapp has no interest in either one of these, and doesn’t care in the slightest if you do. If you’re in the mood for that kind of night, then BITE ME will leave you plenty satisfied and looking forward to the next night out, teeth marks and all.

@reneerapp