KITTIE’s New Album Is Partially Due To The When We Were Young Festival

Kittie originally reunited for the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September 2022, but what really spurred their comeback record Fire happened a few months later. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Kittie drummer Mercedes Lander said it all started when the band said essentially couldn’t say no to an offer from the When We Were Young festival.

“I remember when the When We Were Young offer came in to our email, I took a screenshot of it and I sent it to Morgan. I was like, ‘What do you want to do about this?'” said Kittie drummer Mercedes Lander.

“It was a really great offer, something that was almost like, you can’t say no to that. The guy that was offering us the show was very persistent. It’s his fault that we’re doing a record now. But you know what, I’m glad for his persistence, because I don’t think that would’ve ever happened if he hadn’t.”

Kittie frontwoman Morgan Lander then chimed in to reveal where the magic actually happened. Morgan said Kittie ran into Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen at the festival, who noted he’d love to put out a Kittie comeback record if they were to do one.

“He was like, ‘I want you to really think about it. I’d love to put a Kittie album out’,” added Morgan. “He was like, ‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any music yet.’ And we were like, ‘Good, because we don’t!’ This was not on our bingo card. We did not plan this. Everything sort of spiralled from there.”

Kittie will play five exclusive North American shows this month and next month and August, celebrating Fire alongside some classics and some not-often-played deep cuts. The shows feature a variety of openers, and you can get your tickets right here.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be headlining a handful of exclusive shows this summer in support of our forthcoming album,” said Kittie of the shows. “Expect a celebration of new and old material alike, spanning our 25 year career thus far. We are looking forward to playing some set list staples and bringing back some songs that we haven’t played live in decades! Although limited, look for more shows to be announced at a later date. We’ve missed you and we can’t wait to see you again!”

7/12 Toronto, ON History (w/ Vile Creature)
7/19 New York, NY Palladium Times Square (w/ Unearth, Within The Ruins & Stabbing)
8/2 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade (w/ Upon A Burning Body)
8/4 Dallas, TX The Studio at The Factory (w/ Upon A Burning Body)
8/23 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall (w/ VCTMS & Conquer Divide)