KITTIE's MORGAN LANDER: 'Maybe We Were Just A Little Bit Ahead Of Our Time'

In a new interview with Ned of the Rock 108 radio station, guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander of Canadian metallers KITTIE spoke about their decision to reunite, initially for a couple of festival appearances before beginning work on new music.

" Yeah, I mean, it truly is a really, really wild feeling," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I often have a hard time putting it into two words. There's so many emotions involved in the experiences that we've had in the past. And yeah, I think when we were young and wild and our first album came out, there was a lot of people that were interested in the band, a lot of people that loved the band, but I have heard a lot of people say things like, well, we just never really got to the heights, maybe, that some people thought that we possibly should have. And I think that maybe we were just a little bit ahead of our time as far as that kind of acceptance. And we definitely slugged it out year after year since then. And sometimes taking a little bit of time away to reevaluate and sort of be able to appreciate all of the things, the good and the bad. Sometimes that's needed in order to really put things into perspective, and I think this decade-plus that we were away, we really were able to do that and heal a lot of the things of the past to be able to return feeling as strong and powerful as ever."

Speaking about bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE and KISS, who have both announced farewell tours, only to "unretire" within a relatively short period of time, Morgan said: "Yeah. Well, I think it's hard. Like those instances, like a MÖTLEY CRÜE or a KISS, those people have been doing this a long time. It is their identity. And sometimes it's hard to let go, and so I can understand why the pull of the stage and the pull of creating and the pull of making music can sometimes pull people out of retirement like that. As far as MÖTLEY CRÜE, in comparison to us going away and coming back, didn't they make a big announcement? They signed some stuff saying they were never gonna come back and then they went back on that a few years later. So for us, it was different because we didn't make an announcement. And that was, I would say, intentional. For us, KITTIE is a big part of who we are, and we wanted to be able to keep the legacy alive, whether or not we were actively making music and touring and stuff like that. And so there was always a little glimmer of hope in the future that maybe one day something could potentially happen. But we didn't wanna make any grand declarations because we ourselves were not entirely sure that that was going to be the end of things. Sometimes life pulls you in a different direction, and I think that's okay. You find out more about who you are and what you really want out of life. And then, when things are right again, like they are right now, it's the right time."

Referencing a band like DISTURBED, which announced more than a decade ago that it was taking a hiatus and returned to activity a few years later, Morgan said: "I think that there's nothing wrong with that. I think sometimes you can find a lot of growth and a lot more about yourself. And, in the time that we were away, we also focused on other projects and writing with other people. And sometimes doing something else can really help to broaden your horizons. And then you all learn something more and you come back to do KITTIE, and you're, like, 'Wow, why does everything feel so great?' It's, like, all that time and all that learning that you've done and those experiences you're pouring into this project."

KITTIE's first LP in over 13 years, "Fire", was made available on June 21 via Sumerian Records.

In April, KITTIE announced an exclusive run of North American headline dates. The long-awaited shows will see the band perform in five cities across the U.S. and Canada this July and August, giving fans a very special and rare chance to see the band play a full headline set that will include their recently released singles "We Are Shadows" and "Eyes Wide Open" as well as classic hits and some deep cuts not played live since the band's early days.

Last November, it was revealed that KITTIE was working on a new studio LP with producer Nick Raskulinecz at Nashville's Sienna Studios.

Raskulinecz, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles around 16 years ago, had previously worked with such acts as RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, RISE AGAINST, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, SKID ROW and the DEFTONES.

KITTIE played its first concert in five years in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining Morgan and Mercedes in KITTIE's current lineup are guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.