From her EP Everything To Everyone to the stage of Broadway’s Mean Girls, Reneé Rapp has proven herself as a vocal powerhouse; so naturally, fans were eager to hear more from her—especially after her debut album Snow Angel in 2023.
Rapp released a TikTok on May 8, 2025, teasing an upcoming announcement. Five days later, she revealed that “Leave Me Alone”, the first single off the album, would be released on May 21. “Leave Me Alone” would prove to be a perfect lead single choice; with its energetic production and “couldn’t care less” attitude, Rapp set the tone for her new album.
The second single, “Mad” came on June 27, and the third, “Why Is She Still Here?” on July 18. “Mad” followed the same up-beat nature of “Leave Me Alone”, while “Why Is She Still Here?” slowed down a bit—giving us a hint of the deeper emotions tied to this album.
Finally, the album was fully released on August 1, and there were immediately standout tracks on the album.
“At Least I’m Hot” does exactly what it sets out to do: give you a good time. The lyrics aren’t anything complex—for example: “But if I can’t be happy, then at least I’m hot // Rather be in my bag than get stuck in my thoughts”—but honestly it’s no detriment to the enjoyability of the song. The cadence and tone in which Rapp sings is nothing short of addictive, and gets you dancing immediately.
“That’s So Funny” is one of the very few tracks that stray away from the fun of the album. It starts off in an almost eerie piano melody that quickly turns more somber as Rapp sings: “You loaded the chamber with secrets only you knew // Dressed up my anger and tailored it to suit you // Taught me to look over, over my shoulder.” This song deals with feeling betrayed by how a former partner treats you after a breakup, and Rapp frames it as a “funny” thing they did.
“I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” takes a very interesting route, and for me is the most saddening and conflicting song off the album. It follows a situation where Rapp is in a romantic relationship, but finds herself getting very close with another individual. Rapp goes on to describe how difficult this situation is—being in a relationship while loving another person: “And she’ll never be you, but she keeps me on course // And I’m not supposed to wonder if I should be yours // So I can’t have you around me anymore.” You can empathize with what Rapp is feeling, but also you can’t fully get behind it because of the committed relationship she is in. It’s a concept you never really get to see in a song, so it’s very fascinating.
Unfortunately, certain songs fall into the background of the album and are honestly a little forgettable. “Kiss It Kiss It” and “Good Girl” in particular have a bit of a generic pop sound, and because of that they just don’t stand out—this doesn’t make them bad, just nothing particularly eye-catching.
There’s a lot of emotion in this album: betrayal, annoyance, anger, sadness, confliction, a “don’t care, sue me” attitude, and more. With all of this to process, especially with some of the topics that have sparked controversy, as seen with “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore”, people would definitely perceive it in different ways. Rapp touched on this feeling in an interview with Rolling Stone: “I feel like I made music from places that were really scary for me…So to put it out into the world, and not knowing if it’s going to be received in the way that it feels for me is scary.”
It’s honestly kind of hard to describe this album. It’s very fun, emotional, and confident—even in face of all the obstacles and pain Rapp has experienced in the last few years. I definitely recommend giving BITE ME a listen, so that you can personally unpack all of the emotions encased in it.
