Look up “workhorse” in the dictionary, and there probably won’t be a picture of Deer Tick, but there damn well ought to be. In just five years, the Providence, Rhode Island indie folk band has put out three LPs and three EPs, toured relentlessly, and become a regular on the festival circuit. This on top of frontman John McCauley’s work with Middle Brother, including touring with both units at once. Now Deer Tick has announced yet another record under a year-and-a-half removed from their last one, The Black Dirt Sessions.
Due from Partisan Records on October 25th, the new full-length is the first the band has recorded in their hometown. Fitting, then, that they gave it the title Divine Providence. Helping the band capture “the raw and spontaneous kerosene blaze” of their live show were Adam Landry and Justin Collins, the pair who did diligence for Middle Brother’s debut. “We wanted to make a record that was closer to our live set,” says McCauley, “raw, loud, heartfelt, and completely uninterested in whatever the hell the rest of the music industry is up to. The results are unlike anything you’ve heard on a Deer Tick album.”
That last statement isn’t just hyperbole, as the effort marks the first time guitarist Ian O’Neil and drummer Dennis Ryan have stepped up to lead vocals for their own tracks. “Man, you can practically smell the sweat and the beer!” McCauley continues. “Shit, you may even here a guitar or two break somewhere in there!”
You can hear what the results of all the sweating, drinking, and smashing sounds like on the first song from the release, “Miss K”, by using the player below or getting it for yourself here. I have no idea why they wrote a song about my mom, but it’s a playful, strummy ditty of untroubled adherence to youthful zeal. The full tracklist for Divine Providence is below.
Divine Providence Tracklist:
01. The Bump
02. Funny Word
03. Let’s All Go to the Bar
04. Clownin’ Around
05. Main Street
06. Chevy Express
07. Something to Brag About
08. Walkin Out The Door
09. Make Believe
10. Now It’s Your Turn
11. Electric
12. Miss. K
