Track Review: Reneé Rapp, “In the Kitchen”

The Sex Lives of College Girls star Reneé Rapp released her new single on Friday (July 22). Titled “In the Kitchen,” the new track finds Renée infusing pop’s recent stream of histrionic breakup ballads with her Broadway flair.

Written and produced by a slew of notable names in modern pop music including Tommy Brown (“34+35,” “Is There Someone Else”), The Monsterz & Strangerz (“Levitating,” “Physical”), Michael Pollack (“Ghost,” “Visiting Hours”), and Reneé herself, “In The Kitchen” is a typical pop ballad that blunders through overwrought lyrics and soars by way of Reneé’s stunning vocal performance.

With its somber piano line and towering chorus, it’s hard not to think of songs like “drivers license” or “Fingers Crossed.” From a thematic and structural standpoint, the similarities are certainly there, but what sets “In the Kitchen” apart is the way in which Reneé emotes. Outside of “But I'm too scared to delete all our videos /'Cause it's real once everyone knows,” lyrics that slyly touch on the unique dynamics of ending a relationship in the public eye, “In the Kitchen” heavily relies on clichés and familiar metaphors. In order to breathe new life into those lyrics, Reneé pulls from her theatre background and literally acts her way through the song’s story. There are no forced attempts at vowel-breaking or exaggerated rasp to imitate emotion here. Reneé delivers a carefully paced vocal performance that steadily builds into a heartfelt moment of release underscored by the haunting layered vocals in the song’s bridge.

From Mean Girls (the stage musical based on the 2004 film) to The Sex Lives of College Girls, Reneé is one of the brightest new names in entertainment. With a voice like this, the sky truly is the limit for her.

Score: 68