KITTIE

If you’re looking for subtle, look somewhere else. KITTIE have never been for the faint of heart, but on new release I’ve Failed You the London, Ontario all female quartet redefine the scope of their metal vision.

I’ve Failed You leverages the raw nerves of a brittle psyche against an unyielding human spirit, and elevates KITTIE to all new extremes. “This is a very sad album and it’s a very heavy album, it’s something I had to get out,” says frontwoman Morgan Lander. “The last two years between In the Black and now have been extremely difficult, and a lot of things have impacted the lyrical content. We’ve pretty much gone through an entire life upheaval and a lot of changes, and these songs tell a story – it’s the downfall of a relationship, coming to terms, and finding the strength to move on”.

The album’s lead single ‘We Are the Lamb’ was the only track with lyrics by Mercedes Lander – Morgan’s sister and KITTIE’s drummer. “It’s weird how that song came about – I was watching TV and thought, ‘holy fuck, I need to write a song…’ and it literally came out that fast”, says Mercedes. “It’s about coming to terms with the fact that sometimes things need to be sacrificed before we can move on. The song just really brought everything on this album into perspective for me…”

And musically, KITTIE gel like never before. The new release is the band’s second album for label E1 Music, third featuring guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivy Vujic, and sixth studio release overall.

Where the band describe In The Black as the album that refocused their sound, renewed their energy, and laid a foundation to move forward artistically, I’ve Failed You builds on that skeleton, casting flesh and blood upon the roots they’ve planted. The album is splashed with embellishments, heightened by dynamics, and characterized by a growth and maturity that can only come with more than 12 years history as a band.

I’ve Failed You charts KITTIE’s progression as a band, while also charting their evolution as adults. It stares death in the eye, and engages the feelings of anger, guilt, frustration and confusion that follow. The album is not a collection of songs about grief, it is an album that follows a treacherous path of grieving to reach the understanding and acceptance of closing track ‘Time Never Heals’, a sombre missive that embraces the heartache of loss as an inevitable vehicle for growth. In the end, that is I’ve Failed You at its core – it is an album about being human, and an album about surviving tragedy to embrace life. There’s not a subject matter more heavy or extreme, and that suits KITTIE just fine.