Kittie drummer Mercedes Lander's other band, The White Swan, sees her singing and playing guitar teamed up with bassist Kira Longeuay and guitarist Shane Jeffers. The trio hit the studio late last year to begin working on new material. They released their new EP, Nocturnal Transmission, on September 18th. 

Lander spoke with Dani Zed about Nocturnal Transmission and everything around it, pending touring, the COVID-19 situation, and got into some easygoing old school back-in-the-day Kittie talk.

Check out the official video for The White Swan's cover of Tracy Bonham's "Tell It To The Sky" below.

Lander previously commented on the track:

"I've always thought that 'Tell It To The Sky' was a fantastically well-written song. I always try to really think outside the box when it comes to choosing covers and I tend to pick songs that you wouldn't expect a band like The White Swan to cover. Tracy Bonham's The Burdens Of Being Upright was released the same year I started playing drums and started my first band and this was my favorite song from that record when it was released. I did my best to capture the soaring vocal melodies and we added some layered EBow for the verses which creates a bit of a darker vibe from the original."

Reprising a long-time creative relationship with producer Siegfried Meier, Lander felt both at home and re-energized by the familiarity and collaborative nature of their work. Recording took just two days, retaining many of the hallmarks of The White Swan's earlier output, but adding a slightly polished sheen to the proceedings. With vocal layering and touches of psychedelic synths adding textural elements to the songs, the result is an enveloping experience of fuzzed out guitars and molasses-like melody. Describing Nocturnal Transmission as a "turning point" for the band, the album art by collage artist Caitlyn Grabenstein reflects the feeling of standing on the precipice, staring into the unknown. Acknowledging that there will always be a constant sound to The White Swan, Lander states that their main intention is to "grow and grow." With an ever-developing sound and a solid combination of creative musicians in their ranks, Nocturnal Transmission is the latest in what is sure to be an ever expanding back catalog of triumphs.

In advance of the release of Nocturnal Transmission, the band released a video for opening track, "In Love And Ritual". Lander comments:

"'In Love And Ritual' is about finding the person that completes you and the journey of realizing how having that person in your life teaches us to become brand new; kind of like a rebirth of feeling and emotional connection. I really wanted to create space with this song, keeping the roller coaster of dynamics in the forefront with a touch of chaos running in the background. Having the lyrics and melody build with the music and really complement each other."

Tracklist:

"In Love And Ritual"
"Nocturnal Transmission"
"Purple"
"Tell It To The Sky" (Tracy Bonham cover)

Photo by redmoth_steve