Line Your Lips, Match Your Nipples: Reneé is back to bite

Originally published on Sound Spectrum Magazine

Bogotá, Colombia – Reneé Rapp is done being polite. Her new single ‘Leave Me Alone’ launches her next album Bite Me (out 1 August) with the energy of someone storming out of a club barefoot, eyeliner smudged, and absolutely not texting her ex back. The track is short, loud, and dripping in early 2000s teen-movie chaos—like something you’d hear in Freaky Friday as Lindsay Lohan throws hands in the school parking lot.

This isn’t a ballad. It’s not trying to showcase vocals. It’s here to make a statement: she’s pissed, she’s hot, and she’s over it. The verses are more spoken than sung—classic talk-singing over a beat—with a chorus that barely scratches the surface of her usual vocal range. If you were hoping for the emotional weight of Snow Angel, this might catch you off guard. I’ll admit, I didn’t love it on the first listen—I kept waiting for that raw, gut-punch moment that never quite arrived. But if you’ve ever cried in the shower while giving yourself a pep talk in the mirror, this one gets you.

Lyrically, it’s a mix of sass, pettiness, and a sprinkle of absurdity. “I took my sex life with me, now the show ain’t f*ckin’” is already iconic—Reneé’s not-so-subtle jab at The Sex Lives of College Girls, which she exited shortly before its cancellation. And then there’s the line “Even line my lips just to match my nipples,” which has sent Reddit into meltdown. Some listeners called the song “more jingle than single,” pointing to its repetition and runtime, while others said it sounds like the closing track in a 2000s teen rom-com. Either way, people are talking—and that’s half the game.

But maybe that’s exactly the point. Reneé’s not trying to be deep here—she’s having fun, being messy, and doing it all on purpose. It’s camp, it’s chaotic, it’s horny, and above all: it’s gay. Like, really gay. This isn’t just a song by a queer artist—it’s a tantrum wrapped in lip liner, lesbian lighting, and a thinly veiled threat. The gays are taking over, and this is their soundtrack. I mean, who else is going to rhyme dimples with nipples? Exactly.

And if the studio version didn’t fully land for you, don’t count it out just yet—Reneé is making her awards performance debut at the American Music Awards on 26 May. Expect chaos. Expect drama. Expect a serve.

‘Leave Me Alone’ might not be for everyone. It’s short, sharp, and a bit unhinged. But if you’re sweaty, heartbroken, slightly tipsy and half-dressed on a night out—you’re going to feel very seen. Whether it becomes your new obsession or a track you skip after the chorus, it’s already made its mark. Bite Me is shaping up to be the unhinged older sister of Snow Angel: louder, wilder, and a whole lot less interested in making you comfortable.

About the artist

Reneé Rapp is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After winning the 2018 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress, she starred as Regina George in Mean Girls: The Musical and later broke out on screen in HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls. Her 2022 debut EP Everything to Everyone and 2023 album Snow Angel earned critical acclaim for their emotional honesty and vocal strength, with the latter debuting in the Billboard 200 top 10. Openly lesbian and unapologetically outspoken, Rapp is also a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, and most recently, Palestinian liberation—using her platform to challenge the status quo and redefine what pop stardom looks like in 2025.