For many fans, Kittie‘s 1999 debut Spit remains the band’s most defining release. But for the members themselves, the true essence of Kittie lies not in where they began but in how far they’ve evolved since.
When asked which album best represents the band today, guitarist Mercedes Lander didn’t hesitate in an interview with New Noise Magazine. “I think everything after Spit, to be honest with you,” she said.
Vocalist and drummer Morgan Lander echoed that sentiment, explaining that each new release tends to take on that role in the moment it’s created: “I would say every new album becomes that album,” Morgan said.
“When you record the next one, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s the best one.’ But for me, when we started In The Black, that was the beginning of everything that was new. It felt like a reintroduction to a slightly different sound sonically.”
Bassist Ivy Jenkins agreed, noting that In The Black stands out not just musically, but emotionally: “Whenever I listen to that album, you can hear how happy and together and unified we were,” Jenkins said. “We had the best time in the studio together. It’s funny because it’s really negative, heavy music, but you can hear us in a positive light.”
She added that the same energy carried forward into later material, particularly Fire. “It really feels like a happy, energized band,” Jenkins said.
The band previously explored this divide in their 2017 documentary Kittie: Origins/Evolutions, where they spoke candidly about wanting distance from Spit. Written and recorded when the members were still teenagers, the album represented both their breakthrough and a creative growing pain.
However, with the album’s re-release years later, Morgan says her perspective has softened. “With the first album, there’s a lot of rawness and realness to it that I think a lot of people really enjoy,” she explained. “But we quickly moved away from that skill level as a band—as soon as we recorded and started going out on tour.”
Time, distance, and experience have allowed her to reconnect with the material without feeling confined by it. “I can appreciate the first album for what it is,” Morgan said. “And it was really nice to be able to re-record stuff, just to sonically bring things to where we’re at now.”
Speaking of Kittie, they’ve got the following 2026 tour dates lined up so far.
1/26 Miami, FL ShipRocked Cruise 2026
4/25 Las Vegas, NV Sick New World Las Vegas 2026
7/18 Tinley Park, IL Summer of ’99 And Beyond Festival 2026
7/29 Wacken, Germany Wacken Open Air 2026
7/31 Löbnitz, Germany Full Rewind 2026
8/2 Saarbrücken, Germany Garage Saarbrücken
8/5 Jaroměř, Czech Republic Brutal Assault 2026
8/6 Kortrijk, Belgium Alcatraz 2026
8/9 Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom Bloodstock Open Air 2026
8/13 Carhaix-Plouguer, France Motocultor Festival 2026
8/14 Cudrefin, Switzerland Rock The Lakes 2026
8/15 Sulingen, Germany Reload Festival 2026
8/16 Eindhoven, Netherlands Dynamo Metal Fest 2026
Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.
