Sunburn (1990)

Blake Babies

  1. I'm Not Your Mother
  2. Out There
  3. Star
  4. Look Away
  5. Sanctify
  6. Girl in a Box
  7. Train
  8. I'll Take Anything
  9. Watch Me Now, I'm Calling
  10. Gimme Some Mirth
  11. Kiss and Make Up
  12. A Million Years

The Babies come of age with what would prove to be the last full album before their initial split. The confidence in both the writing and performing is evident from beginning to end, highlighted by the sublime Sanctify.

More polished in its production than any previous BB record and arguably more consistent in the quality of songs. The centerpiece is the stripped down, guitar only, Strohm classic Girl In A Box, on which John takes the vocal lead. A fan favourite and which Juliana continued to includes in her live sets decades later.

Decades on this whole album stands up as an indie guitar pop classic.

Personnel

Juliana Hatfield - vocals and bass
John P. Strohm - guitar and vocals
Freda Boner (Freda Love Smith) - Drums

2022 Vinyl REISSUE

American Laundromat Records reissued Sunburn in new vinyl editions on June 24, 2022.

ALR:

We are stoked to reissue "Sunburn" on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years! This exclusive reissue is limited to 2,000 units worldwide.

Reissue artwork prepared by Aaron Tanner at Melodic Virtue from the original Mammoth art. Our good friend Sean Glonek at SRG studios handled remastering, Levi Seitz cut metal, and the fine folks at Furnace pressed the vinyl. It looks and sounds amazing! We are very proud of this reissue and hope you enjoy it.

Ordering info: www.alr-music.com/collections/out-now/products/blake-babies-sunburn-pre-order

2022 Band Interview

To mark the 2022 vinyl reissue Juliana, Freda, and John were interviewed by Dave Rayburn for Alliance Entertainment:

DAVE: When all is said and done, what do you wish for the Blake Babies legacy to ultimately convey and represent?
JULIANA: We worked really hard, and we made some cool music!
FREDA: I like to think Blake Babies represent a kind of youthful boldness and openness. We didn’t let ourselves be limited by gender or age or—in my case—lack of technical ability. We all grew up in the seventies and eighties and were influenced by the gorgeous pop songs we heard on the radio and by the rough-edged punk bands we loved as teens, and we mashed those sensibilities together exactly the way we wanted to.
JOHN: I think the music speaks for itself, and I know for a fact that some of these songs have brought people comfort and made them feel less alone. Juliana communicated her struggles through her lyrics, and it meant a lot to a lot of people. That’s amazing and one of the greatest things music can do.

There’s a further retrospective interview with the trio at Goldmine Magazine.

John also wrote an article for Talkhouse in June 2022 looking back on “what it was like to be a “college rock” band on the verge in 1990”:

Happily, Freda, Juliana, and I have rekindled our friendship several times over, and we made what I personally consider our best album, God Bless the Blake Babies, in 2001. We’ve periodically done shows together and supported one another in all of our mostly successful post-band pursuits. It’s wild to think that was over 30 years ago. It’s even wilder to listen to the music with the knowledge of what indie music sounds like today, and realize it still sounds contemporary. With the exception of a few dated production touches, Sunburn could fit in with what we call Indie Pop today.

'Sanctify' performed by the (reformed) Blake Babies in March 2001 at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston

Out There - the original promo

In the UK we had to wait until 1992 before it was released, hence the date of these reviews:

Melody Maker - March 1992

Select 1992