Deer Tick has shared a live performance of their gorgeously sprawling track “Once In A Lifetime,” the soul-soothing standout from their acclaimed album Emotional Contracts, which arrived on June 16 via ATO Records. Check out the performance below.
The album received praise and support from NY Magazine, FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, InsideHook, MOJO, NPR Music, GuitarWorld.com, and more.
The track follows a full band live session of the epic, 9-minute closing track “The Real Thing.” The live video features John McCauley’s wife Vanessa Carlton on piano. Like all of the Emotional Contracts videos, it was directed by Brandon Herman and filmed at Deer Tick’s studio in Providence, RI. Other performances include a version of “Forgiving Ties.”
Deer Tick—McCauley (vocals/guitar), Ian O’Neil (vocals/guitar), Dennis Ryan (drums), and Christopher Ryan (bass)—are currently on a six-week summer U.S. tour that includes several newly added dates, and a West Coast run supporting Jason Isbell. In October, the band will embark on a fall U.S. tour including shows at Washington D.C’s 9:30 Club on November 14, Brooklyn, NY’s Warsaw on November 15, and two hometown shows at the Columbus Theatre on November 24 and 25.
Emotional Contracts, the band’s ATO debut produced by Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney), adds an even greater vitality to their feverish collection of timeless rock-and-roll, and features guest musicians like Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, as well as background vocals from singer/songwriters like Courtney Marie Andrews and Vanessa Carlton.
The LP catalogs all the existential casualties that accompany the passing of time, instilling each song with the irresistibly reckless spirit that’s defined Deer Tick for nearly two decades. Mostly recorded live–and honed down from nearly 20 songs to a concise, thoughtfully curated ten–the album is Deer Tick’s most collaborative to date, and sees all four members operating at their peak songcraft powers.
Buy or stream Emotional Contracts.