Deer Tick have announced a new album, Emotional Contracts, the proper follow-up to their pair of 2017 albums and their first for ATO Records. It was produced by Dave Fridmann at his Tarbox Road Studios in western New York.

“We’ve had a habit of trying to maintain a strict control over everything in the studio, but this time we wanted to see what it would feel like to let go a bit,” the band’s John McCauley said in a press release. “We figured that the songs were strong enough to stand on their own two feet, so whatever we put them through would just make them stronger and take us in some new directions.”

Today, they’re sharing two tracks from the album, “Forgiving Ties” and “The Real Thing.” “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 the track, said of the former in a statement. “The Real Thing” is fronted by McCauley, who said:

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.

Check out both below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “If I Try To Leave”
02 “Forgiving Ties”
03 “Grey Matter”
04 “If Only She Could See Me”
05 “Running From Love”
06 “Once In A Lifetime”
07 “Disgrace”
08 “My Ship”
09 “A Light Can Go Out In The Heart”
10 “The Real Thing”

TOUR DATES:
06/05 Deerfield, MA @ Tree House Brewery
06/07 South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
06/08 Canandaigua, NY @ Lincoln Hill Farms
06/09 Woodstock, NY @ Levon’s Barn (SOLD OUT)
06/10 Woodstock, NY @ Levon’s Barn (SOLD OUT)
06/12 New York, NY @ Rough Trade
06/14 Portsmouth NH @ Cisco Brewers
06/15 Matunuck, RI @ Ocean Mist (SOLD OUT)
06/16 Matunuck, RI @ Ocean Mist (SOLD OUT)
06/17 Matunuck, RI @ Ocean Mist (SOLD OUT)
06/19 Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird
06/21 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
06/22 Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex
06/23 Milwaukee WI @ Summerfest
06/24 Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow (SOLD OUT)
06/25 Wisconsin Dells, WI @ Showboat Saloon (SOLD OUT)
06/27 Ft Collins @ Washington’s
06/29 Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheatre*
06/30 Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival
07/01 Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater*
07/02 Canby, OR @ Clackamas County Fairgrounds*
07/04 Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amp*
07/05 Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo*
07/06 Spokane, WA @ Martin Woldson Theatre*
07/08 Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden*
07/09 Dillon, CO @ Lake Dillon Amphitheatre*
07/11 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre*
07/12 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s*
07/14 Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre*
07/15 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre*
07/16 Las Vegas, NV @ Wynn Las Vegas*
10/12 Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
10/13 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/15 Nashville, TN @ Basement East
10/17 Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre
10/19 New Orleans, LA @ Chickie Wah Wah
10/20 Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
10/21 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10/22 Ft Worth, TX @ Tulips
11/08 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
11/09 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
11/10 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
11/11 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
11/12 Homer NY @ Homer Center for the Arts
11/14 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
11/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
11/17 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/18 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/24 Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
11/25 Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
* Supporting Jason Isbell

Emotional Contracts is out 6/16 via ATO Records. Pre-order it here.