The sophomore album from
Reneé Rapp
, 2025's
Bite Me
finds the Broadway actress and singer embracing her sexuality and independence with a fun, cheeky swagger. Produced with a small cadre of studio collaborators, including longtime friend
Alexander 23
,
Julian Bunetta
, and
Omer Fedi
, among others, the album's vibe is both candid and light. There's a sense that
Rapp
, who was 25 years old at the time of its release and who came out as a lesbian in 2024 (the year she debuted with
Snow Angel
), is owning her sexuality and reveling more than a little in the romance, good times, and emotional messiness that often comes with dating in your twenties.
plays with identity throughout, offering lyrics that feel personal to her but also work for straight and queer folks alike. On "Why Is She Still Here," she digs into an unfaithful paramour, singing "You can tell me you don't love her/But you should probably tell her too/'Cause I can't keep sleeping undercover/'Cause if I'm your girl, then why is she still here?" Musically, the album is just as playful, underscoring a mix of throwback and contemporary influences. Blessed with a big, highly resonant voice (perfect for musicals like Mean Girls, in which she gained fame),
leans into the opening "Leave Me Alone," a maximalist anthem that pleasingly sounds like a giddy mashup of
Salt-N-Pepa
's "Push It" and
Blur
's "Song 2." Other evocative moments pop up throughout, as on the innuendo-rich "Kiss It Kiss It," with its clubby, '80s
Blondie
style, and "Good Girl," with its synthy "When Doves Cry"-era
Prince
atmosphere. Elsewhere, she slides into the piano-driven ballad "Sometimes" and takes an equally stripped-down approach on "I Can't Have You Around Me Anymore," a stinging ballad in which she sings against a spare electric bass line that proves to be one of the most emotionally unguarded moments on the album. Throughout
BITE ME
serves up plenty of wry pop charisma, which is more than enough to sink your teeth into. ~ Matt Collar