I write songs and play lots of different instruments for a band called Love Axe (I also do all of the recording and producing). We recently released our newest LP, titled Optimism Paranoia Desperation Abolition, to some lovely reviews:
“Paired with any light drizzle and two fingers of rye, Hatfield takes stock like Oldham, Molina, or Callahan before him and fans of those will find plenty to bite into here. The internal bleeding’s been coming to the surface these days, a hundred cuts across the cultural horizon, but Love Axe’s latest provides a pretty perfect soundtrack to counting the contusions.” - Raven Sings The Blues
“Optimism Paranoia Desperation Abolition resonates like an old-school singer-songwriter’s album. It travels through the dark nights of the soul, while letting in just enough light so that we don’t lose our way. One need not be political or progressive to appreciate the songs, in other words. It’s a wonderful album.” - The Old Grey Cat
“Trading on the memories of the likes of Guthrie, Seeger, and Dylan, Hatfield reprises their weapon of protest, an acoustic guitar, three chords and the truth, to rail against social injustice. Through nine songs, Hatfield takes us on a considered, long walk through the aforementioned grieving process, attempting to understand how we got here in the first place and how to make the best of it while we’re all still breathing.” - Americana UK
Featuring the artwork of Ojai, California artist Christopher Noxon on the cover:
In 2021, Love Axe released THE FOOD, which marked a significant stylistic departure (and a lot of fun had by myself and several collaborators in the making of it):
“Revolving around a relentlessly catchy bass synth hook, “Think” is a brilliant indie pop gem. The song steadily builds from its central spacious synth groove into a technicolor symphony of hook-filled indie pop, eventually joined by massive layers of synths, bass, and guitar. Hatfield’s left-of-center sensibilities meld perfectly with an instantly arresting ear for pop hooks, all of which is brought to another level thanks to arrangement and percussion courtesy of Andrew Dost of the band Fun.” - Under The Radar
My friend Jeremy Bird put together this mind-blowing music video for the song “Give Me A Kiss:
Reviews for 2015’s South Dakota, on New Granada Records:
"A collection of hook-laden tracks that could inspire melodic envy in the likes of Sloan and Fountains Of Wayne." - The AV Club
"A new album brimming with a slideshow of pop-edged indie rock that's far from workmanlike... It's major label production on an indie budget, that's virtually void of trend worship and hype. In its place, the band treads on earnestness, swooning dynamics and crack songcraft. The guitars crunch in all the right places, the harmonies kick in quick, raising the hair on the back of your neck and the hooks stick in your brain for days; couldn't ask for very much more." - Raven Sings The Blues
"With Material Issue, Jellyfish and Superdrag all relegated to the gone, but not forgotten pile, the world was growing impatient waiting for the next great thinking person’s pop band to show up. With their sophomore effort, the wildly impressive ‘South Dakota,’ Love Axe has finally arrived to fill the void." - Neu Future Magazine
We made a video for our song, “Microwave”:
Check out the whole album here!
You can find all things Love Axe (and order records) at Bandcamp.
I also used to play keyboards and write songs for Michigan's Those Transatlantics. Our debut album, titled Knocked Out, received lots of praise and was even featured by National Public Radio. I played piano and keyboards on everything here, and The Other Cheek and Where Have You Gone? are my compositions. I also arranged the music and wrote the lyrics for Boys & Children and I, Avalanche.