By Carl Begai

On February 14th, 2024, Canadian nu-metal-turned-in-your-face-extreme icons Kittie broke 13 years of silence with the single, "Eyes Wide Open". The band went on indefinite hiatus following the release of the I've Failed You album in 2011, broken only by a hometown London, Ontario show in 2017 and the Origins/Evolutions documentary issued in 2018. Kittie kept their impending 2024 return under wraps as best they could for the better part of a year, in spite of the fact they admittedly "normally blab about everything," so it turned out to be a Valentine's Day kiss hello done up in crushing fashion, leaving an impact on an unsuspecting fanbase. Prior to the release of "Eyes Wide Open", BraveWords caught up with the whole band - Morgan Lander (vocals, guitar), Mercedes Lander (drums), Tara MacLeod (guitar) and Ivy Vujic (bass) - to discuss the events that led to Kittie's return and the making of the new record, Fire.

Following is Part 2 of the interview. Part 1 is available here.

BraveWords: Kittie has evolved over the years from a nu-metal band to something much more extreme. Did you give an conscious thought to the musical direction for Fire?

Morgan: "When I was writing I was thinking about the way we wrote the first couple albums. I think there are a lot of Oracle vibes on this record - the big riffs - but I was trying to find a way to marry the ideas of this band. Some people think of us as a nu-metal band, and those elements are still under the surface in our sound, but as we progressed as a band we were able to create our own identity with a little bit more fast and extreme stuff."

Mercedes: "I would say that Fire lifts elements from every single record we've ever done. I don't think that was necessarily a conscious decision. I think this record shows a lot of growth in the writing, song structure, lyrical content and vocal melodies."

BraveWords: At this point of his career, Nick Rasculinecz has become a go-to producer for metal and rock bands. How did you manage to get him on board considering he's in demand and Kittie has been away for over a decade? 

Mercedes: "He was on our list of people that we wanted to work with. We had a pretty short list, bu we didn't even bother submitting his name to the label on the first round. We figured he's way too big to work with us, but eventually we contacted him and he seemed stoked. We sent him the demos and we had a call with him, and he was so excited. We decided 'This is the guy.' I'm glad we asked him because, what an experience. Nick is fantastic, just the way he works and the way he produces. He's very hands-on, and you can tell he really loves music. That was really important."

Ivy: "He fits the spirit of Kittie. He has the same musical philosophy that we do in terms of we're just tryingto make the best music we can make. It's not like, 'Hey guys, let's listen to what's hip and cool on internet radio.' Nick just wanted to make a piece of art, and that matches the idea behind Kittie. He's very pure that way, so I think that's why we got the record that we did; because we all wanted the best." 

BraveWords: Being away from the industry for so long, the dynamics have changed considerably. You were able to work remotely, streaming music is normal now; did that affect how you went into making the new record?

Morgan: "I think the way the industry has changed is directly responsible for us being able to do this again. Things are very different now in the way they (labels) market things, the way they release things. It's all about singles now and getting traction, playlists, things like that. Streaming has taken hold over the past 10+ years and so many young people have discovered Kittie in that time, so we still have a really incredible listenership. I think that has a lot to do with it. There's also a nostalgia factor with our kind of music, so people from all the way  back in the day are still listening to Kittie. I don't think we're nu-metal, but a lot of that has come back as well, and it's molded itself into new versions of metal that are also very popular. Those changes are directly responsible for us having this opportunity to put this album out."

Kittie released their new album, Fire, on June 21 via Sumerian Records. Pick it up Fire here.

Fire tracklisting:

"Fire"
"I Still Wear This Crown"
"Falter"
"Vultures"
"We Are Shadows"
"Wound"
"One Foot In The Grave"
"Are You Entertained?"
"Grime"
"Eyes Wide Open"

"Vultures" video:

"We Are Shadows" video:

"Fire"