User:Chchcheckit/sandbox2
1999 studio album by Kittie
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I mean it when I say that this article is like 60% of the way there. with confidence. I can also say that its mental agony and would advise people to not copy from this as the narritive is often malformed
ok look. the main issue stems from the fact there are things that are missing which i cannot substantiate with sources i.e. no sources (and i mean NONE) state fallon sings choke. either credit is omitted or misattributed to morgan. and then everything is so fucking complicated when there's many intricacies. i'm gonna make a post-script of sorts about the missing info and general experience researching kittie once this reaches fa status; nothing before then. hopefully a motivating point.
refer to Enema of the State for how to write about media/criticism maybe??
| Spit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1999 | |||
| Recorded | May 1999[nb 1] | |||
| Studio | EMAC (London, Ontario) | |||
| Genre | Nu metal | |||
| Length | 36:55 (original) 37:23 (reissue) | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Garth Richardson | |||
| Kittie chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Spit | ||||
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| Original cover | ||||
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Spit is the debut studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Kittie. The album was initially released through Ng Records in November 1999, and reissued through Artemis Records on January 11, 2000. Kittie were formed in 1996, and signed to Ng following their performances at the Canadian Music Week festival in March 1999. Recorded over nine days in May 1999 with producer Garth Richardson at EMAC Recording Studios in London, Ontario, Spit is a nu metal album that incorporates elements from various genres. Inspired by life experiences, its lyrics address topics including sexism, hatred, ignorance, abuse, self-image, conformity, and betrayal. The album is Kittie's only release with their original line-up, featuring bassist Tanya Candler and guitarist Fallon Bowman.
Kittie initially supported Spit with a tour of the United States with Skinlab and Pissing Razors and performances at the Milwaulkee Metalfest and Big Day Off festivals, after which Candler left the band in September 1999 and was replaced by Talena Atfield, who appears on its reissue cover and on a re-recorded version of "Paperdoll". In 2000, the band toured North America and Europe, as both a headliner and supporting act for Slipknot and Sevendust, and joined the Ozzfest tour. Assisted by Internet word-of-mouth and Kittie's touring efforts, Spit was a commercial success, reaching number 79 on the US Billboard 200 chart and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in October 2000. The album sold 100,000 copies in Europe, but did not perform as well in Canada due to a lack of radio support and touring. It remains Kittie's best-selling album, having sold over 660,000 copies in the United States by April 2003. "Brackish" and "Charlotte" were released as singles with music videos, and respectively reached numbers 46 and 60 on the UK Singles Chart.
Spit received generally favourable reviews from critics, who praised its production, musicianship, and songwriting but criticized its lyrics and vocals. The media attention surrounding Kittie's image and the ages of its members at the time of the album's release overshadowed their music and came to define perceptions of the band for much of their initial career (WHICH IS A BAD THING. OBVS). Retrospectively, Spit has been listed as one of the greatest nu metal albums of all time by Kerrang!, Loudwire, Metal Hammer, and Revolver, and considered inspirational to women in heavy metal. In 2025, Kittie celebrated Spit's 25th anniversary with a performance at the Louder than Life Festival and the release of an extended play (EP) of re-recordings, Spit XXV, which Richardson also produced.
Background
Kittie were formed in September 1996[1] in London, Ontario, by drummer Mercedes Lander and guitarist Fallon Bowman, who met in a gymnastics class.[2] They bonded over their shared interest in grunge artists such as Nirvana and Silverchair and started jamming together after realizing they both played instruments.[2][3] Mercedes' sister Morgan joined as their guitarist and vocalist four or five months later[4] as a replacement for their original guitarist, Sandra.[5] The trio started out playing covers of Nirvana, Silverchair, Deftones, and Korn before attempting to write their own material; "Brackish" was the first song they wrote together.[6][7] Morgan, Mercedes, and Bowman wrote the songs on Spit[8] over the course of a year and a half,[9] and had completed most of them by the time Tanya Candler joined Kittie as their bassist in November 1997, completing their lineup.[10] The band wrote the music for the songs first, as a "backdrop" to the vocals,[11] starting with riffs by Morgan or Bowman before bass and drum parts.[12] Vocals on a song would be handled by whomever wrote the lyrics,[5][13] which Morgan did for most of them.[14][15] Spit's title track and "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" were the last songs written for the album.[16] (between the ages of 12 to 14 when written. fine)
Kittie played their first show at a Battle of the Bands competition at Call the Office on February 28, 1998,[17] and began performing around London every one or two weeks,[6] at either Call the Office or The Embassy.[18][19] The band recorded two demos at EMAC Recording Studios engineered by studio co-owner Robert Nation;[20] one of the demos was sent to producer Garth Richardson, who agreed to record their debut album for a minimum fee.[21][22] In March 1999, Kittie performed at the Canadian Music Week festival in Toronto,[2][23] where they received several record label offers.[24][25] The band ultimately signed with Ng Records, an independent label operating out of New York.[26] Although Ng had previously rejected the band's demos,[6][23] the label took interest in Kittie after its vice president Jason Wyner saw them perform.[26][27] Mercedes said that Kittie signed with Ng as they believed the small label would pay more attention to the band than a larger one;[25] Morgan also said Ng showed greater enthusiasm in the band than Canadian record labels, who considered them "too raw and aggressive".[28] Bowman believed that Ng was able to see "what was happening in the wider scope of things with the emergence of nu metal" and called Wyner a "visionary" for taking a chance and signing the band.[29] [...] mention how Morgan and Mercedes' father David Lander became band's manager ... (chronology pending)
Recording and production
Kittie recorded Spit with Richardson over nine days at EMAC in May 1999,[21] at a cost of US$57,000.[30] As the band's members were still attending high school at the time, they recorded in the evenings after they had dinner and completed their homework at the studio.[31] Mercedes recorded her drums in three days.[12] Due to the short recording window, her drum takes were mostly recorded in one take, Morgan vocals were not double-tracked,[21] and any mistakes could not fixed.[32] [...] band members recalled themselves being in awe/hyperactive lmao [...] Mercedes said that going into recording, Kittie [...] "we just needed a finished product" for record labels that were interested in them at the time.[32] Kittie did not sign with Ng until June or July 1999,[33] as they did not want to be told what to do by the label whilst recording Spit.[6]
Kittie wanted Spit to sound raw, yet professional-sounding,[34] and reflective of their live shows.[35] Richardson brought in a Pro Tools setup to record the album,[36] alongside an array of equipment and amplifiers the band spent a day experimenting with.[34] They used ESP and Squier guitars,[37] a homemade guitar by Richardson,[34] and Morgan's custom Gibson Flying V, which had all three of its humbuckers turned on for a "huge, meaty sound".[37] In place of effects pedals, guitar distortion was produced using a combination of Orange, Marshall, and Soldano amplifiers.[37] Bowman only used one pedal on the entire album, an Ibanez Classic Phase.[34] Morgan played bass on three songs, including "Raven" and "Immortal",[38] whilst Mercedes played a djembe drum on "Paperdoll".[12]
Kittie had completed most of Spit's songs prior to performing at Canadian Music Week,[38] and most of them remained unchanged from when they were first written.[7][39] Morgan credited Richardson with helping Kittie with some vocal arrangements and melodies,[5] and said that the band decided to rearrange the structure of "Paperdoll" after he pointed out a "catchy hook" in the song.[7] "Brackish" was nearly left off of Spit due to problems surrounding its arrangements, but would come into its own when Kittie recruited DJ Dave, a friend of Nation's, to add some jungle beats to the track.[40][41] Morgan wrote the song's chorus in the studio's vocal booth a week later, and the band recorded it the next day.[40] Spit was then mixed by Chris Shaw at Soundtrack and EMAC (except "Paperdoll", by Matt Chiaravalle), and mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk.[42] The album was completed in August 1999.[27][43]
Composition
Overview
Spit has primarily been described as a nu metal album.[nb 2] Rolling Stone described the album as blending thrash metal, grunge, death metal, and alternative rock;[49] other journalists described it as grindcore,[50][51] hard rock,[52][53] hardcore punk,[53] and techno.[54][55] Spit's songs feature drop C-tuned guitars,[35] heavy basslines,[56] stop-start structures,[52] tempo shifts,[43][57] melodic sensibilities,[58] and manic percussion driven by double kick drums and cymbals.[57] Morgan alternates between guttural,[52] growled,[59][60] screamed,[60] sung,[57] and spoken vocals;[59] she attributed her use of the latter to her lack of singing ability at the time.[61]
MENTION THE BLEND OF MELODIC AND HEAVY ELEMENTS. GOD DAMNIT.
Kittie's songwriting was influenced by its members' differing music tastes.[39][62] Morgan listened to a mixture of heavy and soft artists,[5] including Far, Gary Numan,[39] Nile, Placebo,[5] Portishead, Silverchair, Sneaker Pimps,[9] and Today Is the Day,[5] and also black metal,[39] hip-hop, and R&B music.[9] Bowman and Mercedes both cited industrial metal as an influence;[5] the former listened to hip-hop, pop, and heavy metal[63] alongside Björk,[9] Depeche Mode, Madonna,[39] Orgy, and Weezer,[5] whilst the latter listened to artists including Nine Inch Nails and Prick[9] as well as 1980s new wave and hardcore.[5] In a 2025 interview with Haus of Cult, Morgan and Mercedes cited Korn's eponymous debut album (1994), Deftones' Adrenaline (1995) and Around the Fur (1997), Sepultura's Roots (1996), Human Waste Project's E-lux (1997), Tura Satana, and the Nothingface albums Pacifier (1996) and An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity (1998) as influences on Spit.[64]
Spit's lyrics address topics including sexism, hatred, ignorance,[65] abuse,[66] self-image, self-esteem,[5][46][58] conformity, and betrayal.[67] They express feelings of anger,[68][69] fear,[69] self-loathing,[68] teen angst,[58][70] and world-weariness,[69][71] whilst also displaying a sense of humour.[72] Morgan's lyrics drew from her personal experiences in London, Ontario,[73][74] and detail events involving close friends or herself.[74] Bowman described the songs as summarizing the life experiences of Kittie's members.[66] Morgan said that due to their tightness as a band, the experiences of one member would be felt by and set the mood of the rest,[15][75] She said that although they all had relatively normal upbringings, Kittie's members wanted to explore the flaws of society and their environment in an honest manner.[73] Likewise, Mercedes said the band were "trying to show the [...] imperfections of coming from a suburban place".[76]
(Look at other sources for how gender is potrayed in spit. i think there was stuff in that "bowman life experiences" source but check elsewhere anyway. this needs discussing as imm not trying to shy away from it but need to avoid tragedy of the nuance again.)
need to quote that stuff from march 2026 metal hammer, with morgan on the eminism feminism. again, they were but they were teenagers and isolated as fuck[77]
[...]
In a 2000 interview with Guitar World, Morgan said that she and Bowman both aimed to use their voices to express masculine and feminine emotions, "from rage and anger to innocence and vulnerability"; Bowman also stated that they [Kittie?] "[liked] to blend the feminine aspect of men with the masculine aspect of being a woman".[78] [...] Several journalists described the
Kittie's image and lyrical content led [several contemporary critics? to describe the band as] neither of which they identified as [IN CONTEMPORARY INTERVIEWS].[18][79] Morgan said Kittie emphasized a "theme" of equality though did not discuss it in their songs,[65] and that their music was for "human beings" than persons of a particular gender.[80] In a 2021 interview with Metal Hammer, Morgan said Kittie's beliefs in equality aligned with feminism, but that they did not understand it well at the time and were afraid of being associated with its misconceptions.[40]
Songs
Spit's opening title track was written in reaction to the attitude of local bands towards Kittie,[65] and was described by Mercedes as "[representing] the meaner side of [the band]".[24] Valerie Potter of Q and Sarah Bee of Melody Maker both compared the song with Napalm Death.[81][82] Tanya L. Edwards of Spin viewed its "meaning is implicit—Kittie aren't working the sexy and angry angle, they're just pissed off."[51] "Charlotte" stylistically alternates between speed metal, hardcore, anthem, and ballad,[59] before moving into a clean guitar interlude and ending in a "crash of distortion".[83] Its lyrics, inspired by a serial killer from the book Rites of Burial by Tom Jackman and Troy Cole,[84] detail "the story of "a woman who ends up with her boyfriend's head in her closet", according to journalist Mark Beaumont.[85] "Suck" and "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" are "angst-ridden" tracks[86] featuring abrasive vocals and guitars,[87] repetitive basslines and staccato drums.[86] The latter deals with self-image and judgement by others for the way women dress.[88] Morgan said the song's title was given "basically to prove people wrong",[65] and that the lyric "I look in the mirror, the whore is all I see"—the only lyric printed in Spit's liner notes—was meant to encourage people to see beyond their face value.[73] "Brackish" incorpoates techno[43][89] and drum and bass elements,[90] and features a chorus marked by vocal interplay between Morgan and Bowman.[83] The song was written about a friend of Kittie's and a toxic relationship they were in with an older man,[40] and was described as a call "for women to be strong and emotionally independent" by Brenda Bouw of the National Post.[71] "Jonny" is about realizing nobody is perfect, including one's role models, with its title referring to a "generic idol-type figure".[91]
Phil Alexander of Kerrang! described "Trippin' " as a "strong-arm metal moment" contrasting with Spit's more melodic tracks.[92] "Raven" is driven by a grotty bassline[82] and addresses online death threats[93] Kittie received from a male band they competed against in a talent show in Ontario.[94] "Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)" was titled after remarks Kittie received at a high school talent show,[95] where the band was told to stop playing by a female principal who did not believe women should be playing music of their style;[85][91] Mercedes cited this incident as Kittie's first experience with discrimination.[24] The song's lyrics also incorporate part of the Lord's Prayer.[96] Bowman wrote "Choke" in response to an emotional betrayal they faced;[97] author Tommy Udo interpreted the lyrics as attacking a "real or imagined" abuser.[98] Arion Berger of Rolling Stone described the song as recaling 1970s hard rock with its "satanic churn".[52] "Paperdoll" attacks the image of women as "blow-up dolls",[71] and sees Morgan sing over a "twangy" guitar rhythm[58] and a drum beat that Telegram & Gazette's Craig Semon likened to nails being hammered into a coffin,[58] before "exploding into desperate wails", per Lalena Fissure of The Village Voice.[59] Spit ends with the gothic instrumental track "Immortal".[99] Morgan said the song was supposed to have lyrics but were scrapped and forgotten; its original opening line was "The eyes of the victim".[100]
Release and promotion
Kittie began touring in support of Spit in July 1999, when they performed at the Milwaukee Metalfest.[101] The band toured the United States for the first time with Skinlab and Pissing Razors in August.[102] Following the band's performance at the Big Day Off in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 24, 1999,[103] Candler left Kittie, citing her discomfort with the band's growing popularity and her struggles with [personal issues].[83][104] The band subsequently recruited Talena Atfield, a friend of Mercedes' who had attended a number of Kittie's early shows, as their new bassist, despite her lack of experience with the instrument (mainly guitar???). [According to whom??], she learnt all of Spit's songs within one week.[105] Following a warm-up show with Atfield, Kittie performed at the CMJ Music Festival in New York City,[38] where a live music video was filmed for Spit's lead single, "Brackish".[40][106][nb 3]
Spit was initially scheduled for release on October 19, 1999,[101] but was delayed following Candler's departure[43] so Kittie could change its artwork and re-record "Paperdoll", which Candler had sung lead vocals on.[33][38] Atfield appears on the reissue cover,[108] and performs on the re-recording.[38] The album was initially released in November 1999[nb 4] as a limited reigonal release across the New York tri-state area; after its inital pressing sold out in a week, Ng pulled the album from sale so they could establish a proper promotional setup.[109] Shortly thereafter, Ng was bought out by Artemis Records.[40] and Kittie was moved over to the latter label.[26] Morgan said that Kittie avoided being dropped from Artemis following the merger due to their "buzz" around New York City and the support of Wyner and the heads of Ng and Artemis.[26]
Artemis promoted Spit through radio speciality stations and in the press,[27] and set up an internet and print marketing campaign with the online music service MyPlay.com,[110] through which users were offered a free download of "Brackish" and "Choke".[27][111] The MyPlay.com promotion helped increase Kittie's profile in the United States and led to hundreds of users setting up pre-orders for Spit that contributed to its first-week sales.[110] The album was re-released in the United States through Ng/Artemis on January 11, 2000,[112] and in Canada and Europe the following month, with distribution handled by Sony Music.[113] The CD included the music video of "Brackish" and other promotional material as a multimedia feature.[114] "Brackish" was concurrently released as the album's lead single;[115] its music video entered rotation on MTV, The Box,[116] and MuchMusic.[71] "Charlotte" was released as the second single from Spit on June 5, 2000.[117] Its music video, filmed with director Lisa Rubish in early May 2000,[118] was an MTV hit [better/more sourcing please; how about commentary on what the video represents???].[119]
Later promotion and touring
After [...] band took some time off to get atfield up to speed for touring purposes. (mentioned in some interviews, i think??) [...] dropped out of school [...] The members of Kittie left high school prior to the tour,[6][40] and later dropped out in favour of doing a GED.[120] [...], Kittie toured the United States with Slipknot and Will Haven in January 2000.[38][121] In February 2000, Kittie toured the United States with Sevendust[71][nb 5] and filmed an appearance on the talk show Later. The band were subsequently invited to perform on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, where they made their debut late night television appearance performing "Brackish" on February 23.[123][124] From February 28 to March 8, 2000,[125] the band supported Slipknot on their debut tour of the United Kingdom,[91][126] after which they toured the rest of Europe.[27] In early April 2000, Kittie played a few Canadian shows with Slipknot,[127] before embarking on a headlining American tour with Chevelle, Shuvel, and the Step Kings from April 27 to May 28.[118] On July 11, 2000, Kittie released the home video Spit in Your Eye,[118] featuring performance footage and interviews filmed during their tours with Slipknot and Sevendust.[102]
Following a European summer festival tour, Kittie returned to the United States to perform on the Ozzfest tour,[128] between July 2 and September 2, 2000.[129] The band were the only all-female act on that year's Ozzfest bill, and second overall to play at the festival after Drain STH.[130] According to Mercedes, Kittie were asked to begin recording a new album after Ozzfest but refused as they didn't feel it was time to stop touring then.[131] From September 5 to 16, 2000, Kittie embarked on its first tour of Canada,[132] supported by Disturbed.[25] After a planned tour supporting Pantera was cancelled due to vocalist Phil Anselmo falling and breaking two ribs, Kittie formed a headlining tour with Mudvayne, Apartment 26, and Factory 81 that ran from November 18 to December 1, 2000.[133] On December 12, 2000, the band released the Paperdoll EP, featuring a remix of "Paperdoll" and some live tracks recorded at the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden in June.[133][80] Following the SnoCore Rock Tour in January and February 2001, Kittie began working on their next album.[134]
Reception (need to redo/split/etc)
Critical response (need to redo. badly.) (how many "components" should i break this into? what parts?)
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[135] |
| Kerrang! |   [92] |
| Melody Maker | [82] |
| Metal Hammer | 5/10[56] |
| NME | 4/10[47] |
| Q | [81] |
| Rock Sound UK | [87] |
| Rolling Stone | [52] |
| Select | [45] |
| The Village Voice | C+[136] |
Spit received generally mixed to favorable reviews from contemporary critics.[48][35][71] [...] generally praised the album's production and musicianship. Roxanne Blanford of AllMusic said it was "simultaneously retro and progressive in its blunt musical expression".[55] Alexander of Kerrang! highlighted Kittie's combination of "power, naivety and naked aggression",[92] whilst Lalena Fissure of The Village Voice and Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly enjoyed the album's blend of heavy and melodic qualities.[59][135] Spin's Edwards praised the album for avoiding common faults and "ridiculous posturing" of contemporary nu metal bands with its straightforward production and style.[51] Sandy Masuo of MTV News praised the production but said that like other nu metal bands, it was still possible to "overlook [Kittie's] genuinely impressive chops amid all the bluster".[99] Valerie Potter of Q said that despite the production "[doing] the band justice", Spit's songs were unoriginal.[81] Berger of Rolling Stone and Tanya Richardson of The Stranger felt the album was repetitive, though the former found it was "fairly good-natured" and highlighted its songs involving Mercedes' "tricky drum work".[52][137] Darren Sadler of Metal Hammer said Kittie were a competent albeit unmemorable band, but nevertheless considered Spit "a promising debut".[56] Matthew Welsey of Eye Weekly viewed it as derirative of Fear Factory and questioned "why [...] Richardson would touch this—and if he hadn't, to what greater degree this record would blow".[138]
Spit's lyrics and Morgan's vocals were met with mixed responses. Reno Gazette-Journal reviewer Mark Earnest considered Spit the work of a "great basic hard-rock band", though he found "juvenile" lyrics and "typical metal growling" occasionally brought the album down.[53] Fissure found the lyrics both juvenile and unintentionally funny.[59] Alexander took issue with "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" and "Jonny" for their adherence to "aggro-rock clichés", referring to the former's "rhetoric" and the latter's chorus.[92] Potter felt Morgan sounded unconfident when attempting more conventional vocal styles outside of screaming;[81] conversely, Nathalie Vincent of Rock Sound France highlighted her melodic vocals but said she sounded hoarse and out of breath when attempting "hardcore" styles.[139] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian felt her vocal "maelstrom" made the lyrics on the "unlistenable doom-metal" album incomprehensible.[140] More favourably, Amy Sciarretto of CMJ New Music Report said Morgan's vocals to be on par with Bowman's performance on guitar, which she described as being as competent as a death metal musician.[141]
A writer for Impact Press [...] "This is ferocious metal that is absorbing, constantly changing pace and vocal stylings going from a slow grind to speedy thrash and from screamed to sincere. Kittie's melodic, hardcore metal is incomparable and addictive."[142]
Several reviewers discussed Kittie's image and attitude in their reviews of Spit. Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post viewed the band's all-female status as their sole "distinguishing feature" and dismissed them as a "bore".[143] Roman Sokal of Exclaim! accused the band of being calculated with its focus on "shock novelty",[54] whilst Darren Johns of NME said they were "too conscious of the nu-metal zeitgeist to affect any real menace". and stuff (evil) about richardson[47] Robert Christgau, also of The Village Voice, believed that Korn fans thought more of "four teenage girls [...] bellowing 'Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)' ", than of them "bellow[ing] loud enough".[136] In a subsequent interview with Rolling Stone, Christgau said he approved of what Kittie did but that they "[didn't] do it well" and believed that, despite people claiming their attitude lived up to their music and that they were "beating [...] up" a male-dominated scene, the band would give men a reason to dismiss women playing rock music: "It's the emperor’s new clothes, basically."[144] Conversely, Sarah Bee of Melody Maker believed that Spit "wouldn't be the brilliant boundary-trouncing debut it is" without references to gender and stated that its "maturity, hardness and accessibility leave you gobsmacked. Irrespective of anything."[82] Oliver of Metal.de was disappointed by people paying more attention to Kittie's looks than their music, which he felt was "easily in the top leagues".[69] Michelle Solomon of the Detroit Free Press likewise believed the band gave its peers Korn and Limp Bizkit a "run for their money".[89]
Commercial performance
Morgan and Mercedes had not expected Spit to sell beyond Ng Records' initial pressing of the album, which they estimated to be between 5,000 to 8,000 copies.[26][40] After being reissued through Artemis in January 2000, the album debuted at number 147 on the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 8,800 copies.[110] It topped the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart two weeks later,[145] and reached its peak position on the Billboard 200 at number 79 on April 15, 2000.[146] Spit was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 17, 2000 in recognition of it shipping in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States,[147] and had sold over 660,000 copies in the country by Aprill 2003.[148] The album sold an additional 100,000 copies in Europe by February 2001.[149] "Brackish" and "Charlotte" respectively charted at numbers 46 and 60 on the UK Singles Chart,[150] and numbers 31 and 35 on Billboard's Active Rock Tracks chart.[146]
Spit's commercial success was attributed to Kittie's touring efforts and word-of-mouth,[27][72] particularly on the internet,[27][110] where the band accrued a network of around 100 to 250 fansites from various countries by August 2000.[151][152] Morgan emphasized the role of the internet word-of-mouth in the album's success Bowman cited the internet as the source of their "entire fanbase".(ANTIMTVjan2000), whilst Mercedes believed that Kittie would have not had generated as large of a fanbase without it. [...][citation needed] Despite the album's success and the band's appearences on Ozzfest, Jill Pesselnick of Billboard noted in December 2000 that Kittie had yet to receive wider acceptance at active rock radio and had only garnered limited national airplay in the United States.[153] Artemis executive Danny Goldberg credited the internet and Kittie's touring efforts had allowing the label to overcome difficulties in promoting the band at hard rock radio,[27] which he called a "station by station fight" against people's prejudices towards women in metal.[154]
In Canada, Spit failed to reach SoundScan's Top 50 Alternative or Metal Album charts[155] and sold only 40,000 copies there by April 2003.[148] Bouw and Sandra Sperounes of the Edmonton Journal attributed its poor performance to a lack of radio support—although Kittie's music videos were aired on MuchMusic—and the band's lack of a touring base, having only embarked on its first tour of the country (Canada) towards the end of 2000.[2][155][nb 6] Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star believed Spit's earlier release in the United States and Europe compared to Canada was a "double-edged sword" and led to Kittie being rejected there???.[128] [WHAT DID THE BAND THINK about canadian rejection?] [...]Morgan felt the band were "shunned" by Canadian journalists for being "younger women playing rock music".[157]
(comments elsewhere from artemis related people about radio struggle exist...)
Media coverage
mention reesman 2000, goldberg's comments that artemis/kittie would get disproportionate amount of attention for even trying
Much of the media attention surrounding Kittie and Spit focussed on the band's image as an all-female band playing heavy metal[158][159][160] and the ages of its members, [...] over their music.[161][162] The band's coinciding breakout amidst the dominance of the teen pop genre resulted in some journalists comparing the band to various singers from the genre;[25] most notably Britney Spears
(quantity? Several) journalists labelled the band "anti-Britney" in reference to a comment Morgan made about singer Britney Spears on Kittie's website in late 1999, which they hated (me too!!)[2]
Several journalists misinterpreted Spit's songs as being sexual in nature owing to their song titles,[83][159]
which "reduced songs about female empowerment and solidarity (aka "Choke" and "Do You Think I'm a Whore") to little more than dirty novelty titles", according to Rob Bailey of Arizona Daily Star.[163]
"But rapid success also had a downside, and from the outset, the band found themselves exposed to the rampant misogyny of the 00s metal scene, and locked in a constant battle to be taken seriously."[40]
stemming from a comment The band were also faced with numerous misconceptions and rumours, including that they did not play their own instruments[40] or write their own songs,[2][164] or that Spit's songs were sexual in nature due to their song titles [...]
Following the release of Spit, Kittie experienced a backlash centered on claims by their critics that their success was primarily due to their image than their music,[165] which Kerrang!'s Emma Johnston reported as being polarizing amongst listeners by the time band released their second album, Oracle (2001).[166] In 2002, Sciarretto opined that the band had been "unfairly discriminated against" because the album "featured a line-up of teenage females".[167]
Kittie had not expected their all-female status to be controversial,[161] and were wary of being seen as a [age question], referencing/citing Silverchair as example of band not taken seriously for similar reasons; [...] Mercedes later alleged that Artemis revealed its members' ages to the press against their wishes.[159] Morgan and Mercedes both felt that most of the initial press was slanted negatively against them by older journalists who could not take them seriously because of their age/gender [aka condescended] [...],[158][168] [...] the initial press releases (im taking that to be gargano's 1999 thing) and initial press coverage from Rolling Stone and Spin [...][168] The members of Kittie were openly critical of the way journalists sexualized them in interviews;[83] Morgan later said her that her anger towards their portrayal in [inital period] led her to dress in a masculine manner for a few years: "I didn’t want to be viewed as an object".[164] Morgan described [...experience of going thru Spit][164] [...] and were [...]
march 2026 metal hammer again points out how band basically because of idiot journalists had to prove themselves as metal. or something
You hear the name Kittie, and a lot of people still think and feel like 'Oh, those are those 15-year old girls from London, Ontario.' Unfortunately, in the public eye, that's who we are, and that's who we'll always be. The media tends to choose one angle and just hammers it. You can never change and you can never develop—at least in their eyes, anyway.
Morgan and Mercedes later felt that Spit had created a stigma around Kittie;[169][170] in a 2012 interview with Canada Arts Connect, the former remarked that the band had "received more praise and criticism for that [...] album than we have over the duration of our entire careers" and claimed the band were still struggling to be taken seriously by the heavy metal community because of it.[164]
Whilst Kittie's albums would abandon the nu metal style of Spit in favour of a more direct heavy metal style,
Kittie's later albums .[83] [...] explain, refer to revolver and that blabbermouth 2025 source and march 2026 metal hammer source [...] The band continued to perform songs from the album at their shows,[171] though they avoided doing so for a time to show their growth from the album.[172]
felt that, despite the growth she felt the band made thereafter, continued to be judged based on the album and subsequently continued to
Morgan believed that the initial media coverage surrounding Spit led to listeners who would have otherwise enjoyed exteme metal to dismiss the album. [was also frustrated by] people judging them for their line-up changes: "you heard things like 'well, now the hottest member of the band left, now I can't take them seriously.' Or, ' I just can't respect them anymore. They were so hot and had such a great style.' [...] It's a CD, not a fucking picture book."[168]
(also see this source, also from 2012... idk)
The early 2020s nu metal revival renewed interest in Kittie[173][174] and led to songs from Spit, including "Brackish" and "Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)", becoming popular on the social media platform TikTok.[175][176] Upon the release of Kittie's seventh album Fire (2024), Morgan said in an interview with Revolver that she was more accepting of Spit though also hoped the renewed attention would lead people to listen to their other albums, which she believed were talked about less because they weren't "piggybacking on the early 2000 nu-metal hype".[173]
[...] Also, no, Kittie won't revisit its style ever again.[173] [citation needed]
Morgan reflecting on album's 10th anniversary:[177]
"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."[178] (this line is what i want to say but everything is confusing and convoluted, if you could not tell lmao)
Legacy
Retrospective reviews, accolades, and influence
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [55] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[179] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [180] |
| The Great Metal Discography | 7/10[181] |
In 2018, Stereogum's NM Mashurov praised Spit as "vibrant nu metal alchemy – crackling with intensity, aggression, humor, and deep-seated rage".[83] Colin Larkin of The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2006) called the album a "ferocious blast of high-energy rock", highlighting the tracks "Charlotte" and "Paperdoll" for "hint[ing] at a more substantial talent submerged beneath all the bluster and bombast."[180] Martin Popoff, in The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties (2007), felt that Kittie could rock "heavily and smartly" and praised their songwriting as "way beyond [its members] years".[179] Conversely, Martin C. Strong viewed the album's "schizophrenic/progressive" approach to blending influences as indicative of "a band yet to reach musical maturity."[181]
The Pitch gave Spit an "honorable mention" in the riot grrrl category of its list of the 40 best albums of 2000.[182] In 2007, Hit Parader ranked the album fourth on its list of the "All-Time Top 10 Female-Fronted Metal Discs".[183] "Brackish" appeared on Fuse's "19 Best Nu-Metal Hits of All Time" list in 2015,[184] and was ranked number 23 on Spin's "30 Best Nu Metal Songs" list in 2017.[185] In the early 2020s, Spit was listed as one of the greatest nu metal albums of all time by Kerrang!,[186] Loudwire,[187] Metal Hammer,[188] and Revolver.[189] In 2023, Rolling Stone listed its title track as the 82nd greatest heavy metal song of all time.[49] In 2024, Paul Travers of Metal Hammer ranked Spit second in his ranking of Kittie's seven studio albums, stating that although the band would go on to make "more accomplished albums", it "remains the iconic sound of the band for many people".[190]
Spit has been retrospectively considered inspirational to women in heavy metal;[173][191] Rossanna Slater of Rock Sound UK anticipated that its non-conformist attitude would "unwittingly [...] set a mould for a million or more Kittie-clones".[87] According to Meagan Fredette of Rookie, the album gave teenage girls a voice in metal and "carved out a space for [them] to get angry, wear spiked necklaces, and scream".[192] Ali Cooper of Alternative Press credited the album with ushering in a "new era" for nu metal that moved the genre out of an "introspective rut" and allowed for topics including sexism and bullying to be more widely discussed.[193] Serena Cherry of Svalbard and Noctule cited Spit as the reason she became a metal musician,[194] and Aria May of Faetooth called it her favorite album.[195] Vile Creature covered "Paperdoll" in 2021,[196] whilst Poppy covered Spit's title track in 2023 and Zetra covered "Charlotte" with Justine Jones of Employed to Serve on their sixth EP Believe (2025).[174][197]
Anniversary celebrations, related releases and events
In March 2012, Kittie asked their followers on Twitter if they would be interested in seeing their original lineup reuniting to perform Spit in its entireity for a few shows.[198] Four of the album's tracks and a live recording of "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" were included in the band's first greatest hits compilation, Not So...Safe (2012).[199] On October 27, 2017, the original Kittie lineup reunited to perform "Brackish", "Charlotte", "Choke", and "Paperdoll" as part of an anniversary concert at the premiere of the band's Kittie: Origins/Evolutions documentary at Rum Runners in London, Ontario. The concert marked the first time the former two songs had been performed live since 2008; "Choke" had not been performed since 2001, and "Paperdoll" since 2002.[200] The Spit line-up reunited again in January 2022 for an online chat in celebration of the 22nd anniversary of its release.[201] In April 2022, the album was reissued on vinyl for the first time.[202] In 2023, Kittie performed "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" for the first time since 2003 at the Sick New World festival.[88] On September 19, 2025, Kittie released an extended play featuring re-recordings of four of the album's songs, Spit XXV, through Sumerian Records;[203] the band reunited with Richardson and reused much of the same equipment from the original sessions.[174][204] The day after, Kittie performed a set celebrating Spit's 25th anniversary at the Louder than Life festival.[205]
Track listing
All songs are written by Morgan Lander, Mercedes Lander, and Fallon Bowman (SOCAN),[8] and credited to Kittie.[42]
| No. | Title | Vocals[207] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spit" | Morgan Lander | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Charlotte" | Morgan | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Paperdoll" | Tanya Candler[9] | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Suck" | Morgan | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" | Morgan | 3:00 |
| 6. | "Brackish" |
| 3:06 |
| 7. | "Jonny" | Morgan | 2:24 |
| 8. | "Trippin'" | Morgan | 2:21 |
| 9. | "Raven" | Morgan | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)" | Morgan | 2:52 |
| 11. | "Choke" | Bowman | 4:05 |
| 12. | "Immortal" | 2:49 | |
| Total length: | 36:55 | ||
| No. | Title | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spit" | Morgan | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Charlotte" | Morgan | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Suck" | Morgan | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Do You Think I'm a Whore?" | Morgan | 3:00 |
| 5. | "Brackish" |
| 3:06 |
| 6. | "Jonny" | Morgan | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Trippin'" | Morgan | 2:21 |
| 8. | "Raven" | Morgan | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)" | Morgan | 2:52 |
| 10. | "Choke" | Bowman | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Paperdoll" | Morgan | 3:22 |
| 12. | "Immortal" | 2:49 | |
| Total length: | 37:23 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Charlotte" (Mellow Acoustic Version) | 3:46 |
| Total length: | 41:09 | |
Personnel
Adapted from liner notes.[42]
Kittie
Additional musicians Artwork
|
Production
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[147] | Gold | 660,000[148] |
Release history (copy this in at the end, or not... idk)
yeah
Notes
(should i add dividers between translation notes and general/text notes)
- "Paperdoll" was re-recorded following the departure of Tanya Candler in September 1999.
- Kittie had originally planned on filming a music video for "Brackish" with director Floria Sigismondi, which would have featured the band performing at a crash-test dummy site surrounded by a conveyor with smashed-up cars.[107] However, Kittie's record label was unwilling to pay its production costs, and the band filmed a live performance video instead.[40]
- Attributed to multiple sources:[40] Metal Edge reported Spit's release date as November 2, 1999,[103] whilst a post from Kittie's official Facebook page claims it as November 13, 1999.
- Sevendust's frontman Lajon Witherspoon was introduced to Kittie after a journalist told him the band were fans of them in an interview conducted whilst Sevendust were on tour with Machine Head. After he "started seeing their name around" and listened to their album—which he felt "beat a lot of people's asses"—Witherspoon asked Kittie to tour with them.[122]
- In an April 2000 interview with Chart Attack, Morgan said that Artemis had "shunned" Kittie's attempts at an earlier tour of Canada and pushed for touring the United States instead, but said they did not want to come off as "neglecting" the country.[156]