Deer Tick have announced a new album titled Emotional Contracts. The Dave Fridmann-produced LP is set for release on June 16 via the band’s new label home, ATO Records. Check out the new songs ‘Forgiving Ties’ and ‘The Real Thing’ below, and scroll down for the album’s cover art and tracklist.
“Each track is like a little deal you make with yourself (a contract if you will),” the band wrote in a statement. “Much of the material focuses on the fight to survive. A timely coincidence with all the COVID lockdowns and cancelled shows…or perhaps all of that was subconscious inspiration. But here we are; Deer Tick lives to see another day.”
“The song is essentially a metaphor for the fear that results from a sudden traumatic event, and how to move forward and take care of yourself and your loved ones,” Ian O’Neil, who takes on lead vocals on ‘Forgiving Ties’, explained. Of ‘The Real Thing’, the band’s John McCauley added: “At first I had an idea for a song called ‘The Last Book on the Shelf,’ which I ended up using as a title for a song about all the creepy book-banning happening lately. ‘The Real Thing’ became about living with depression, which has been part of my existence since I was a kid, and how it takes even more work to keep your head above water as you get older.”
Emotional Contracts Cover Artwork:
Emotional Contracts Tracklist:
1. If I Try To Leave
2. Forgiving Ties
3. Grey Matter
4. If Only She Could See Me
5. Running From Love
6. Once In A Lifetime
7. Disgrace
8. My Ship
9. A Light Can Go Out In The Heart
10. The Real Thing