Twenty-one years after their debut album, Juliana Hatfield Three are back together working on a new album, and they’ve released a new track – entitled “If I Could” – that will be on their upcoming much awaited sophomore album, Whatever, My Love.
In 1993, guitarist/keyboardist/singer Juliana Hatfield teamed up with bass player Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips to record Become What You Are, the first Juliana Hatfield Three album, following the breakup of Blake Babies, a Boston-based alternative rock band she was in from 1986-1993. “My Sister”, a 1990’s hit, was included on Become What You Are.
She reunited with the guys earlier this year and announced plans to release a crowd funded sophomore album in October, according to Stereogum.
On the band’s PledgeMusic page, Hatfield gave fans a little more detail about the long awaited project, writing:
“Todd, Dean, and I have just begun recording with the lovely and talented Tom Beaujour (who worked with me and Matthew [Caws] on the Minor Alps album) at the Nuthouse in Hoboken, New Jersey, and so far it is going great. Some of you may have previously heard some version of some of the songs we are working on. For example, one of the songs we are exploring is “If I Could.” We have always loved this song but there have only ever been demos of it; it has never been properly finished or produced. There are multiple attempted versions of it but the nut has never been quite cracked, and this has always sort of haunted me. Now I feel like I finally have the chance to get it right with Todd and Dean.
We are also exploring electricized band versions of a couple of the punchier acoustic home-recorded songs from my last album, “Wild Animals.” And there will be some other surprises.”
Fast-forward a few months, and the band has put out a version of “If I Could”. Hatfield reached out via the PledgeMusic page to provide an explanation and context to this release of “If I Could”, noting that it is a little bit different than the version that will be on the album. And, she took the opportunity to thank those who had supported the PledgeMusic campaign, writing:
“Hi! This is Juliana. Here, as promised, is the first song for you to hear off the new Juliana Hatfield Three album which we could not have made without your help (thank you!).The song is called “If I Could” . The album is called “Whatever, My Love”. Some of you may have heard an older demo version of this song… I have always loved this song and I always wanted it to be done up properly and although this is not shockingly or radically different than the demo, I really love it. This is an unmastered version of the song–with Todd (drums) counting off the song at the top. I would bet that most of you won’t be able to discern much difference between the mastered and unmastered versions but I wanted to give you something slightly different–even if infinitesimally so–than the album version. During the tracking of the song, I played a keyboard solo and a guitar solo and after much back and forth I decided on using just the guitar solo. But I like the keyboard solo, too, and I am going to let you hear that version, too, soon (not today but soon). I thought about putting both solos in at the same time but ultimately things were too complicated when they were both in the mix–the gtrs and keys were canceling each other out, or getting in each others’ ways, or something. You know me and I don’t have to tell you that the whole album doesn’t sound like this–there are some raunchier rockers in there along with some other pretty things. We hope you love it all……”
Check it out:
Juliana Hatfield Three’s Whatever, My Love will be released on February 17th, 2015, via American Laundromat. Take a look at the track listing, below, curtesy of Pitchfork.
Whatever, My Love Tracklisting
01 “Invisible”
02 “Now That I Have Found You”
03 “Ordinary Guy”
04 “If Only We Were Dogs”
05 “I’m Shy”
06 “Dog On A Chain”
07 “If I Could”
08 “Push Pin”
09 “Blame The Stylist”
10 “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Hands”
11 “Wood”
12 “Parking Lots”
Leave a Comment