“Album of the year. No notes. No skips.”
That’s just one of the countless glowing reactions flooding social media following the release of Reneé Rapp’s highly anticipated sophomore album BITE ME, out now via Interscope Records. Released August 1, the project finds the Sex Lives of College Girls breakout star shedding the heartbreak-heavy balladry of Snow Angel and plunging headfirst into a 12-track, 33-minute thrill ride of unfiltered pop rebellion.
But while the sound is bolder, louder, and angrier, the feelings underneath remain raw.
A No-Holds-Barred Pop Punch
BITE ME reteams Rapp with Snow Angel executive producer Alexander 23, but she also expands her creative circle to include heavy-hitters like Omer Fedi, Ryan Tedder, Julian Bunetta, and Carter Lang. The result is a high-octane blend of ‘90s alt-rock grit, early 2000s pop-punk attitude, and glossy synth-pop drama with Rapp’s powerhouse vocals driving the chaos.
From the snarling guitar-driven opener “I Can’t Have You Around Me” to the disco flirtation of “At Least I’m Hot” (featuring her real-life partner, Towa Bird), BITE ME is equal parts vulnerable diary and middle finger to conformity. The lead single “Leave Me Alone” signaled this shift in May with its searing honesty and punchy hooks, followed by “Mad” and “Why Is She Still Here?” which thread between obsession, jealousy, and self-destruction, but with wit and defiance.
While her debut explored emotional collapse, BITE ME lives in the messy aftermath, unbothered, unfiltered, and unapologetically loud.
Reneé’s Notes: Brutal Honesty and Proud Contradictions
To mark the album’s release, Rapp shared intimate behind-the-scenes content on social media including three deeply personal handwritten notes to fans. In one, she confessed:
“The whole time making this I felt equal parts confident and equal parts embarrassed. I wanted to be brutally honest but I didn’t want to be judged too hard… Sometimes, I think I’m a walking contradiction but regardless I’m going to talk my shit.”
In a second message, she added:
“There are stark differences in this record from my first. I have people in my life who actually love me. I started calling my friends. I found friends I don’t have to watch my back around. I fell into the most amazing relationship. I started trusting my gut. I got rid of people that didn’t serve me. I started fucking partying god forbid. (!!) And most importantly I set out to impress myself — not anyone else. Point is this shit was written for me and was made for you.”
In the last message, Rapp added:
“This music is a time capsule of the last two to three years of my life. Every part. The good, bad and the ugly. But I’ve never been so proud of myself… Whether you like it or not, I love it… Idk take it or leave it I’m drunk. Ur everything to me xxxxxxxx.”
Rapp’s openness only fueled fans’ emotional connection to the project, with many echoing similar sentiments of catharsis and admiration.
Social Media Reacts: From Crying to Crowning Her Mother
The internet wasted no time turning BITE ME into a full-blown cultural moment.
“This album is now my personality trait for the next 5 months,” one fan declared.
“She’s done it again!!! That’s my mother,” another screamed on X (formerly Twitter).
“Reneé this is possibly the greatest most beautiful album my ears have ever heard. Literally still crying at how powerful and touching it is ❤️❤️❤️”
Other responses were equally emotional. “How much more could I cry over this,” wrote one fan. Another called it simply:
“Album of the year. No notes. No skips. I have no words for Reneé Rapp other than wtf.”
Not all reactions were glowing. A few listeners admitted the album didn’t quite land for them:
“New Renee Rapp album was… just OK.”
“I can’t get into Renee Rapp’s new album which sucks bc I really like her voice and I LOVED Snow Angel😭”
Still, the overall sentiment was clear. BITE ME is a swing-for-the-fences pop moment, and Reneé Rapp isn’t interested in playing it safe.
