Return to solo career
The Juliana Hatfield Three remained together only through 1994. By 1995, Hatfield had returned to solo status and released the album Only Everything, in which she "turned up the volume and the distortion and had a lot of fun." One reviewer described it as "a fun, engaging pop album." The album produced another alternative radio hit for Hatfield with "Universal Heartbeat." In the video, Hatfield portrayed a demanding aerobics instructor. Before the tour for Only Everything, she released Phillips and hired Jason Sutter on drums, Ed Slanker on guitar, and Lisa Mednick on keyboards. However, two weeks into the tour, she canceled it due to depression.
In her memoir, Hatfield writes that she was suffering from depression severe enough to be suicidal. She disagreed with the decision to avoid talking about her depression. The drummer was replaced by Phillips, and touring resumed with Jeff Buckley as the opening act.
In 1996, Hatfield traveled to Woodstock, New York, where she recorded tracks for God's Foot, which was intended to be her fourth solo album (or third, if Become What You Are—recorded with The Juliana Hatfield Three—is not counted). The album was planned for release in 1997. After three unsuccessful attempts to satisfy Atlantic Records' requests for a single, she asked to be released from her contract. The label agreed but retained the rights to the songs recorded during these sessions. "Mountains of Love" and "Fade Away" were later released on a greatest hits collection titled Gold Stars, while "Can't Kill Myself" was made available for download on Hatfield's website. The remaining tracks surfaced on bootlegs, which she disapproved of, and she has rarely performed them live.
In 1997, Hatfield toured with Lilith Fair, an all-female rock festival co-founded by singer Sarah McLachlan.
After the experience of God's Foot and being freed from her label obligations, Hatfield recorded the EP Please Do Not Disturb for the independent label Bar/None. Produced by Hatfield, the album featured drummer Todd Phillips, guitarists Ed Slanker and Mike Leahy, and bassist Mikey Welsh of Weezer. The EP included "Trying Not to Think About It," a tribute to her friend and deceased musician Jeff Buckley.
Almost as a reaction to the seemingly endless studio sessions surrounding God's Foot, Hatfield recorded the album Bed in 1998 in just six days. About the album, she said on her website, "It sounds as raw as I felt. It has no pretty sheen. The mistakes and unattractive parts were left in, not erased. Just like my career. Just like life."
In 2000, Hatfield released Beautiful Creature. However, this album left the rockier side of her musical personality unexpressed, so she simultaneously released Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure with Zephan Courtney and Mikey Welsh. She described the latter album as "a loud release of tension" with "lots of long sloppy guitar solos. And no love songs... a not-at-all attractive reaction to the ugly side of humanity, specifically American culture." Billboard called Beautiful Creature "a collection of plaintive demos" and Juliana's Pony "chock-a-block with punk guitar missives." Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure was panned by some critics who preferred the more acoustic Beautiful Creature. On Beautiful Creature, Hatfield worked with musician Davíd Garza, who co-produced much of the album. Wally Gagel, a producer for Sebadoh and Tanya Donelly, helped Hatfield record her most electronica-influenced songs, "Cool Rock Boy" and "Don't Rush Me," which added texture to the otherwise acoustic album.
In 2002, Hatfield released Gold Stars 1992–2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection. The compilation included singles from her solo albums, two songs from the unreleased God's Foot, a cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," and new songs.
In 2004, Hatfield released In Exile Deo, an attempt at a more commercial sound with input from producers and engineers who had worked with Pink and Avril Lavigne. Hatfield co-produced the album with David Leonard, receiving co-production credits on "Jamie's in Town" and the bright rocker "Sunshine." Critics praised the album, with some calling it her best work since the start of her solo career.
