KITTIE’s MORGAN LANDER Talks About Writing 'FIRE': 'It Was A Relearning Curve'

Summary

• Morgan Lander says writing Fire after 13 years was ‘a re-learning curve’, the band had to rediscover their songwriting rhythm.
• KITTIE used Dropbox and phone recordings to write remotely, while Morgan and Mercedes built song structures in person.
• The band’s return started with a documentary, led to reunion shows, and turned into a full album and global tour.

Getting back in the studio after more than a decade isn’t as simple as picking up where you left off. Just ask Morgan Lander.

The guitarist and vocalist for Canadian metal band KITTIE says that writing Fire, their first album in 13 years, didn’t come with muscle memory (via TotalRock).

It took time to figure things out again.

“Having not done this for so long, it was a re-learning curve getting back into it again,” Lander said in a recent interview. “Having not written a KITTIE song for so long, you’ve got to get back into it.”

The band’s last studio album, I’ve Failed You, came out in 2011. Since then, KITTIE went through a long period of inactivity, with members pursuing work outside the music industry. Lander worked in marketing, her sister and drummer Mercedes Lander moved into tech, and the band’s future was unclear.

That changed when KITTIE reunited for a documentary project titled Origins/Evolutions. What started as a retrospective turned into a springboard. The documentary reignited interest in the band and led to a few reunion shows, then a deal with Sumerian Records, and finally, a new album.

But recording Fire wasn’t as straightforward as their earlier work. Geography made it hard to get everyone in the same room, so the band leaned on cloud sharing and mobile recording tools.

“Technology is amazing,” Lander said. “You can upload things to Dropbox, you can share ideas, you can record decent-sounding riffs on your phone just to get them out there.”

Morgan and Mercedes still live near each other, so they went old-school with some early writing sessions, sketching out song structures face-to-face. The rest of the work happened remotely, with other members contributing from a distance.

“We did a lot of skeleton-building the old way, just the two of us,” she explained.

Lander says it took some time to rewire the creative side of her brain. After more than a decade out of the game, she had to shake off the rust and reconnect with what made KITTIE sound like KITTIE in the first place.

Despite the challenges, the result is a full-length album that’s getting attention, and reigniting momentum for the band. KITTIE is now back on the road, playing shows around the world and teasing the possibility of more music.

Lander hasn’t promised anything beyond Fire, but she made it clear the band is in a good place.

“We’re really enjoying ourselves,” she said. And if the spark’s still there, the riffs probably aren’t far behind.

Got a tip for us? Email: [email protected]