Snow Angel (Reneé Rapp album)

Snow Angel is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp. It was released on August 18, 2023, through Interscope.

The deluxe version of the album was released on November 17, 2023, featuring a remix of “Tummy Hurts” featuring singer/actress Coco Jones and three new songs.

Background and development
Most of the album was written, recorded and mixed over the course of six months in early 2023, which, to Rapp, felt like "20 years". Her musical debut sees a significant shift for the actress turned singer, as she pointed out that music is everything she "ever wanted to do". However, she also revealed how "panicked" she became about the album, citing other people's thoughts and opinions on her music. Comparing her debut EP Everything to Everyone (2022) to her first full-length project, she felt like a different person creating the latter. Rapp also called the experience of collaborating with producer Alexander 23 as a growth in trusting herself.

Rapp announced the album and its lead single "Snow Angel" on June 6, 2023. She revealed further details about the development, saying that she "spent 4 months writing nearly every day". The singer reported of "traumatic experiences" that influenced her writing and dramatic recording sessions that made her cry "in damn near every studio in the valley". The recording process was supposed to be wrapped up on May 8, however, Rapp and Alexander "decided to try a hail mary".

Critical reception
Snow Angel has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 75 based on five reviews.

Sam Franzini of Line of Best Fit opined that the songs on Snow Angel pursue "the same angst and pent-up energy that all pop songs must have" and praised Rapp's ability to let her listeners know about her "big feelings" in "exuberant, hilarious" ways. Alex Ingle at Dork sees the album as the "arrival of Reneé Rapp" and drew comparisons to the likes of Panic! at the Disco and Carly Rae Jepsen. In a more moderate review, Lucy Fitzgerald described the record as a "well-calibrated blend of ballads and upbeat pop" with no "showstopping moments" but Rapp playing by "debut pop album rule book". Writing for The Telegraph, Poppie Platt thought that Rapp is on lane to become "a fabulous 21st century popstar" if she continues to lace her music with the same "natural wit" she presents on screen but is at risk of becoming yet another "successful young actor turned pop star" without "that special something".

Commercial performance
Snow Angel debuted at number 44 on the US Billboard 200, with 18,000 album-equivalent units earned, making it the biggest first week for a debut album by a female artist in 2023. The album debuted at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, making it her first entry on the chart.

In Australia, the album debuted at number 42 on the ARIA Albums Chart, making it Rapp's first and highest charting entry in the country as well.

Following the release of Mean Girls and its accompanying soundtrack on January 12, 2024 as well as a performance on Saturday Night Live by Reneé on January 20, 2024, the album re-entered the US Billboard 200 at number 114 with 10,000 album-equivalent units earned on the week ending February 3, 2024. The album also re-entered the Scottish Albums Chart at number 67.

Personnel
Musicians
 * Reneé Rapp – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 1, 5)
 * Alexander 23 – acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, synthesizer (all tracks); background vocals (1–5, 7, 8), drum programming (1, 3–12); strings, Wurlitzer electric piano (1); drums, synth bass (3); piano (5, 8, 10), programming (6), Synclavier (10)
 * Pete Jonas – drum programming (1, 5, 7)
 * Cooper Cowgill – drums (1, 2, 4–7)
 * Kim Vi – piano (2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12)
 * Alyah Scott – background vocals (5)
 * Rex DeTiger – drums (5)
 * Matt Campfield – guitar (6)
 * Some Randoms – guitar, keyboards (6)
 * TenRoc – drum programming, electric guitar (7)
 * Petro AP – background vocals, synthesizer (8, 11); drum programming, guitar, sound effects (8); piano (11)
 * Towa Bird – electric guitar (9)
 * Laufey – cello (10)

Technical
 * Chris Gehringer – mastering
 * Alex Ghenea – mixing
 * Alexander 23 – engineering (1, 5), vocal production (all tracks)
 * Pete Jonas – engineering (1, 5)
 * Will Quinnell – mastering assistance