The Juliana Hatfield Three

Whatever, My Love

(American Laundromat)

Two decades after the first Juliana Hatfield Three record, Hatfield, drummer Todd Philips and bassist Dean Fisher have reunited to make a sophomore release. By her own admission, Hatfield hasn’t tried to “reinvent the wheel.”



Whatever, My Love is guaranteed to invite comparisons to other Hatfield projects, though it does have a few twists, including moments of unexpected vulnerability. Hatfield has a bad girl reputation, partly because of glib remarks made when she was younger and partly because controversy follows her like a hungry dog. Speaking of canines, the new record has two dog references, both ironic. Lyrically there are two subthemes–longing for closeness and offering shelter to those ambivalent about needing it. When Hatfield muses “If Only We Were Dogs,” it’s in the sense of yearning for physical interaction in an inappropriate setting. “Dog on a Chain” suggests things didn’t go well. Metaphorical pawing arises in “I Don’t Know What to Do with My Hands.”

Hatfield is generally pigeonholed in the alt-rock category, with reviewers noting her blend of rock and folk. The latter is a wrongheaded way of describing her soft voice, which here she frames with Fisher’s thick, heavy bass lines. “Dog on a Chain” evokes early ’80s punk, and “Push Pin” has the New Wave feel of a Devo song. When Hatfield detours to the soft side, it’s for pop-tinged songs such as “Invisible,” or for jangly rock such as “If I Could,” the album’s single. The feel of this album’s is somewhere between The Stooges and The Lemonheads (with whom Hatfield once played). It’s not earth-shatteringly original — just pretty good rock and roll at a time in which that offering is in short supply. I could nitpick about the album’s muddy balance, but I’m just happy to hear three musicians who sound like they’re sweating instead of posing.