Wild Animals
Juliana Hatfield · 2013
30 min · 11 tracks · rock music
A raw and introspective blend of lo-fi rock that captures the complexities of human emotion and experience.
Top tracks — play these first
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Sleep — Opening the album with a haunting melody, this track sets an emotional tone that echoes throughout the record's introspective themes.
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Dog on a Chain — This song encapsulates feelings of entrapment and longing, delivering poignant lyrics alongside a catchy melody that exemplifies Hatfield's songwriting strengths.
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Hurt Me — The track's raw honesty about pain and vulnerability strikes a chord, showcasing Hatfield's ability to convey deep emotions through simple yet evocative lyrics.
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Love Is Like the Wind — With its metaphorical depth, this song reflects on the fleeting nature of love, revealing Hatfield's matured perspective on relationships.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album balances raw emotion with solid songwriting, though it doesn't fully stand out in its genre.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features a consistent mid-tempo pace, while the second half introduces slower, more reflective tracks.
- Hatfield's vocal delivery often alternates between soft, introspective moments and more forceful expressions of emotion.
- Several tracks incorporate sparse instrumentation, allowing the lyrics and vocal nuances to take center stage.
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady mid-tempo sing-alongs
- short bursts of melodic reflection
- for casual afternoon listening
- introspective moments in everyday life
Maybe skip if you
- prefer longer, sprawling compositions
- seek high-energy party tracks
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released on January 1, 2013, Wild Animals is Juliana Hatfield's fifth studio album, following her return to solo work after a hiatus from the music scene. At this point in her career, Hatfield had already established herself as a key figure in the alternative rock movement of the '90s, yet this album represents a significant step towards personal authenticity and lyrical vulnerability.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Liz Phair· Veruca Salt· The Breeders
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Sleep 2:57
- 2 June 6th 2:54
- 3 Spit in the Wind 2:37
- 4 Parking Lots 2:35
- 5 Dog on a Chain 2:19
- 6 Hurt Me 2:49
- 7 Tracks 3:10
- 8 Push Pin 2:03
- 9 Or So They Say 2:30
- 10 Love Is Like the Wind 3:04
- 11 Never Beg 3:30
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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