Kittie: Renewed Beginnings

KITTIE came back from the metaphorical dead with a fire awakened within them. They were no longer the young, naive women critics pitted them to be. Re-entering the public eye in 2022, they rose like a phoenix as something more intense and refined.

If the past two years are anything to go by, it is safe to say they pulled off quite the comeback. Things began as a slow burn in the form of festival appearances, at Blue Ridge Rock Festival and When We Were Young Festival in 2022. This year, they went on to release singles from their upcoming album Fire.

“Everything that has happened [with our return] has been this process,” Guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander remarks. “We dove right in and were like ‘we are going to do some shows’. Sumerian Records signed the band. So many little things were snowballing into us coming back.”

Although KITTIE‘s reawakening happened in 2022, it was 2023 that was monumental for the band. After all, that was the year they sprung back into business. They spared no time writing new music to share with the world. So much so that they wrote an entire album. “Last year especially was wild,” Lander says. “We began writing Fire at the beginning of 2023 and we were in Nashville for five weeks. The album took about eight or nine months to write. We wanted to write as much as possible. It was like learning to ride a bicycle, writing for the first time in 13 years!” Morgan laughs. “We picked the 10 best songs. The rest, as they say, shall be history!”

However, to write new music is one thing, to perform it is another. If Lander’s word is anything to go by, KITTIE are becoming accustomed to performing newer songs in their catalogue like it is second nature. Morgan described the process as very comfortable. “Some of the songs we’ve been playing for twenty-plus years, and there are a lot of songs in our repertoire where we don’t have to think. Some of the songs are so new they are not lived-in yet. It’s something we will get used to. It’s a fun learning experience.”

“It has been really fun to play these new songs for the audiences, especially those who have been waiting for new music with fans who already know them. We get to live that joy and excitement all over again.” Perhaps the echo of those times makes that experience extra special for the guitarist/vocalist.

We at Distorted Sound revealed how fans are discovering them through social media platforms like TikTok. Songs from their Spit era like Get Off (You Can Eat A Dick) (currently peaking at a whopping 24.8K uses in an original sound) and Brackish are taking the platform by storm. The wave of fresh faces discovering them is something that KITTIE welcomes. “For those discovering us now it’s a really strange thing because they are listening to 25 year-old songs. It’s great that they’re here to see the new ones too.” When asked if they would like to say anything to their listeners, Lander says, “we still have some life left in us so thank you for listening!”

At the time of release, platforms like NME condemned their youth, calling what they had ‘teencore’. According to AllMusic, they were criticised for putting in a ‘sophomore effort’ on their second album, Oracle. While they were young, that should not have defined them. “25 years ago it was a different world. We were looked upon in a certain way because we were women doing this and we were young. We were an island because there weren’t many women in that genre, so it was all eyes on us. 25 years later there are a lot more women in metal.” She is proud of the improving inclusion of women in metal now. There were a few notable bands in their niche, like JACK OFF JILL and MY RUIN. Due to sexism, ageism, and their lack of representation, they did not receive the same pedestal treatment as their male counterparts.

Nevertheless, themes of a woman’s power have always been prevalent in their music. When asked if these themes persisted on their upcoming record, Morgan says, “absolutely! If anything it’s something that KITTIE has always embodied. We were like, 15 years old writing our debut album. It’s important to feel heard, to be seen and let people know about the things we’ve been through and how strong a woman can be.”

Undoubtedly, they were much more than women in a scene reluctant to accommodate them. No matter the music they played, the industry squashed female-fronted bands into the same genre. It’s not lost in today’s music world, although it is improving.

To compensate, one may say KITTIE channelled their inner fury. Arguably, they were just brave enough to challenge misogyny. The rock and metal scene was very much male-dominated. It was the late nineties. As a band of young women, they broke boundaries just by existing. “Those topics and those elements in our music are still just as important as they were back then,” Lander says.
Many songs were rightfully charged with resentment. They deserved to feel what they were feeling. “When we were 16 it was a different kind of anger. Now, it’s a mature and slow-burning kind of anger. We have been out in the world and experienced what life can be like, good and bad. I’m probably angrier than I was back then, but controlled and more mature than I was back then.”

They are certainly bigger and braver now, unscathed by their earlier efforts to integrate into the metal scene. If anything, doing so when they were young women made them stronger. Morgan and her sister Mercedes have been there since the beginning. They, of all people, are familiar with what makes them who they are. And now they are putting that to the test. To make their upcoming album Fire, Morgan says, “we married all of the identities that KITTIE had.” They did so even though it meant embracing the gritty nu-metal, and the early crawl into the metal genre they now sit comfortably in.

So, what’s next for KITTIE? Other than releasing their first album in several years, they fully intend to do more. So far, their run of shows consists of appearances in Canada and America, but they are keen to go further afield. “It would be nice to make 2025 the year we come to the UK and maybe do some European festivals,” Morgan says. Because of the special connection they share with fans, performing on that side of the Earth is of high priority.

KITTIE transcends the label of being an all-female band. They stand as a powerful influence in the music industry. Their ability to fearlessly express themselves and harness their emotions through music is remarkable. They are, assuredly, full of life. And in the present day, their legacy continues to inspire and resonate.

Fire is out now via Sumerian Records.

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