Deer Tick has announced the tracklist for their upcoming EP Contractual Obligations, featuring eight songs that were recorded during the sessions for their last full-length album Emotional Contracts. The new EP will be released on July 12, 2024, via ATO Records. Accompanying the EP announcement is the debut of their new single “Sacrosanct”.

“Sometimes when you make a record you have to make a few cuts. With 2023’s Emotional Contracts, we were quite happy with all the material that ended up on the cutting room floor. So we swept it all up and compiled it into this EP titled Contractual Obligations,” says singer and guitarist John McCauley. The band, hailing from Providence, includes guitarist Ian O’Neil, drummer Dennis Ryan, and bassist Christopher Ryan.

The four-piece group dedicated months to developing demos in a warehouse space in their hometown before heading into the studio with renowned producer Dave Fridmann, known for his work with The Flaming Lips, Spoon, and Sleater-Kinney. Much like Emotional Contracts, Contractual Obligations captures the unruly energy of its creation, delivering a mix of heavy-hearted yet life-affirming rock-and-roll that reflects the band’s journey of growing older without losing heart.

Of the lead single, “Sacrosanct,” McCauley says, “It’s a song that we’ve cut and recut a few times over the years. We always felt like it was lacking something. Recording it with Dave Fridmann gave it the kick in the pants we all felt it needed.” The single is available for listening, alongside a lyric video. The song itself has a tone of existential crisis delivered through the band’s signature lo-fi, garage sound.

Contractual Obligations follows the success of Emotional Contracts, which included the AAA radio top ten single “Forgiving Ties” and brought the band back to CBS Saturday Morning. The album was also named one of NY Mag/Vulture’s Most Anticipated Summer Albums and received acclaim from NPR Music, MOJO, and additional notable outlets.

Contractual Obligations Tracklist

1. Sacrosanct
2. Wasting Time
3. Big Black Hearse
4. Die on a Hill
5. Life Insurance
6. The Last Book on the Shelf
7. On Fire
8. Goodbyes