When Meghan Kreidler and Michael Anderson started Kiss the Tiger almost a decade ago, she wasn’t taking it too seriously.

“It was just like, let’s see how this goes,” said Kreidler, the band’s singer.

Now 10 years later, the Minneapolis rock group is trying to make a go of it as a band full-time. Kreidler described 2024 as a “crazy year”: She and Anderson got engaged in February, recorded and tracked a new album in May, got married in July and finished off the album by November.

“When it came down to naming the album, which is ‘Infinite Love’ – and there’s a song on the album called that as well – it felt appropriate,” she said with a laugh, “just with us getting married and the song being about an everlasting love. Love that ‘lasts forever’ or whatever that means. I feel like so much of our story as a band, I tried not to lean into this a lot at first because it feels kind of cheesy and cringy a little bit to be, (snooty accent) ‘We’re a married couple.’ But I mean, really, so much of what this band is, is our creative collaboration.”

The new album, “Infinite Love,” comes out Sept. 12, and the band will make its Pittsburgh debut a few days later with a Sept. 15 show at Poetry Lounge in Millvale alongside Pittsburgh’s Her Charms.

“Even if the romance wasn’t there, there is something romantic about a creative partnership, whether it has to do with being partnered with that person or not,” Kreidler said. “I think Michael and I as creative collaborators have just grown so much over the almost decade-long time that we’ve been making stuff together. … I’m really proud of this album because I feel like it really is both of our powers at work creatively in us coming together and making something that we couldn’t have done without the other person.”

In a call from Minneapolis, Kreidler spoke with TribLive about the band’s dynamic live show, the new album and more. Find a transcript of the conversation, edited for clarity and length, below.

Do you feel like you’re leaning into (writing about the relationship) more, rather than, you said it was a little bit cringy before…

Yeah, because my background is in theater, and this is the only band that I’ve ever been in. When we met, he learned that I was a performer so he pulled me into being in a band. Now it’s become the driving force in my life. I think at first I felt I had the imposter syndrome. I didn’t really feel like it was something that I could take ownership of, saying that I was in a band or that I was even a musician or that I wrote songs. Then over the course of our time as a band, I’ve just become more confident in claiming my identity as a musician and also as a songwriter. I think it’s just shifted for me and so much of it is because of our partnership and I’m older now, too. The reality is yeah, we’re a married couple that also make art together. (laughs) So that’s just what it is, and that’s our story. So I’m fine talking about it. Because otherwise, I would just be making something up, and that wouldn’t be the truth.

It’s better to be authentic, and this is what’s on your mind.

Yeah, exactly. When we first started, I think I was like, well, what’s a rock star? I need to be a rock star and sort of play that role. Being an artist, being a rock star, being punk rock is all just embracing your own authenticity, like you said. And I feel more grounded because of it.

The newest single is “We Don’t Fight Anymore,” so is there a message behind that song?

Actually, speaking of my relationship, I sat down one day, wanted to write something, was reflecting on how my partner and I were in a pretty peaceful period of our relationship. Just the phrase, “we don’t fight anymore and I like that” came into my head and that’s kind of it. Some songs take a little more time to flesh out, but this one really was I sat down and, using that phrase, I wrote it all in one sitting. I wanted to model it after a Wet Leg song – it has a theatrical flair to it, I feel – but I also wanted it to have just the talk-singing, almost feel drab or droll or something like that, but then have the chorus feel very large in comparison. It sounds so much different than I initially envisioned the recording of it, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I was in a good place in my relationship (laughs) so that’s where the song came from.

Just from watching some videos, it seems like you have a pretty dynamic live show, so do you feel like those help to win people over?

Yes, I definitely do. We’ve had a bit of changeover in our membership over the years, but the band that we have right now is just my favorite group. I’ve loved everybody that we’ve played with, but I think every person adds to the live part of the show in really awesome and unique ways. And, yeah, I do find that we are — without sounding boastful — usually able to win over pretty much anyone if they’ve never heard us, but then they see us live because we have a really dynamic live show and great musicianship. It’s also something that we value and we’re intentional about, like we’re here to perform for people and to entertain people. So at the end of the day, whether there’s three people in the audience or we’re performing to a thousand people, it’s the same thing. We try to bring the same energy to whatever audience we’re performing for.

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With all the fist pumps and leg kicks, have any of your bandmates ever been hit by a friendly fire?

That’s so funny you ask because I think, for the most part, I have some pretty good spatial awareness but there was one show back in March in Chicago where we were playing on a really small stage for six people, and I just tripped over myself and fell into my guitar player when he was soloing. I didn’t realize what was happening until it had already happened, and it wasn’t even a kick or a punch or anything. I just lost my coordination and fell. (laughs) But for how physical I am on the stage, I’m surprised that hasn’t happened more often, but I’m trying to respect my bandmates’ space and their instruments and stuff, so I don’t want to crash into them so they can preserve themselves and their instruments.

I hope I didn’t jinx you there.

Well, you know what, it’s OK. I think the audience enjoys watching people fall, honestly. (laughs)

The chaos shows that it’s live and it’s human.

Yeah, exactly. The element of danger, too. I think people like that because it feels like something is at stake. I think when the stakes are high, art is more exciting to be a part of and to witness.

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