Snow Angel is the debut album by Renee Rapp, a bleach-blonde musical theater star turned alternative artist. As a lover of indie artists with unnatural hair, I was ecstatic for its release. I started following her career in 2022, with her debut single, Tattoos, followed by her first EP, Everything to Everyone. Before getting into music, she starred in Mean Girls: The Musical as the iconic Regina George. Renee Rapp lived in Charlotte, NC, and won the Jimmy Awards at age 18. Given her musical theater roots, her first EP was full of piano and pop. Her single and title track, “Snow Angel” followed this trend, as well.
While there definitely are a solid few piano ballads, including the title track, the rest of the album has an indie production that gives the illusion of an album recorded in a closet (in the best way possible). The album consists of two main sounds. Songs like “Talk Too Much” and “Tummy Hurts”’ have an instrumental guitar and voice reminiscent of 70s classic rock. The lyrics are gritty and tell a story. This is what shocked me about this album: it was out of left field for Rapp. She herself said that this album was about finding her sound. However, that didn’t prevent her from going back to the piano. Songs like “Snow Angel” and “Willow” both are slower and sadder. The narrative lyrics paired with the same lack of production, this time with a piano instead of an electric guitar, are more reminiscent of Everything to Everyone but with a more mature and personal sound.
Rapp’s album is characterized by the lyrics. My favorite is “The Wedding Song.” In it, she takes a love song in the chorus and talks about the breakup in the verses. The song portrays heartbreak in such an innovative way, not to mention it’s very catchy. Under the category of electric guitar songs, my personal favorite was “Tummy Hurts.” It’s a perfect revenge song, and the lyrics are honest. To describe “Snow Angel” in a word, it’s raw. Her lyrics are so incredibly true to her experience and vulnerable. Even with just her voice and piano, her music is powerful.
The last song written for the album, the rawest, the first single, and the title track is “Snow Angel.” It’s an incredible representation of her as an artist. The song opens with her painful lyrics over a piano until eventually an electric guitar and screaming voice bleed into the song. It’s a song about heartbreak and trauma but it could be about anything you want it to be. Rapp says, “I have never been simultaneously so proud and scared of a song in my life. I’m very sarcastic and I make a lot of jokes, but this one is different.”
This album is marking a new era for mainstream music. The effect of the indie girl revolution brought the raw guitar indie rock sound. Olivia Rodrigo’s album “GUTS” just solidified this. Songs like “Get Him Back” sound similar to “Talk Too Much.” The twenty-something girls with 2000s style are having a renaissance.
If there is anything to take from this, it is that “Snow Angel” is a must-listen. The trend for mainstream music in the next few years is this album. The raw indie rock sound is being dragged back into the spotlight, and Renee Rapp is the one to watch.
