BITE ME

Thanks to her acting background (and basically zero media training), Renneé Rapp is a character. I appreciate her spunk, her (self-proclaimed) stubborness, and her fuck-off energy. She is not here to please anyone (especially men), and I revere that representation. As put by Pitchfork writer Walden Green: “Watch Renée Rapp talk about herself in interviews, and two things quickly become clear: that she fucks, and that she gives none.”

That being said, I don’t always feel as though this maturity comes through in her music. BITE ME is a perfect example of this. Her songwriting feels consistently superficial and overly-literal for me (who prefers heavily figurative writing). “Making out. I hate you all. Making out again. I’m so hot. Don’t talk to me. Sexxxxxxxxx.” I have no problem with this (or any) material in moderation. But the superficiality just kills me. Especially when it's every single track. It feels like listening to a (really sexually active) pre-teen girl read her journal out-loud. I’m sorry, it falls flat for me.

Now, listen. This isn’t to say I can’t appreciate a good classic relateable girly-pop record. But what makes the difference is originality of the sound. Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS? Worked. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet? Worked (against my will). They had (at least semi-) fresh sound. The melodies and overall sound on BITE ME are simple remarkably unremarkable. Almost every track’s instrumentals bore me (the kicks on Leave Me Alone are fun). They have no dimension whatsoever, making them sound elementary. Somehow, some of the production on Snow Bunny was more advanced. When both the songwriting and instrumentals are basic? It’s a no for me.

Despite being hard on Renneé, BITE ME is not an atrocious album. I could see some of the tracks being on a getting ready (or getting revenge) fem playlist. But I won’t be listening to the full-length record over again.