Deer Tick - Beyond negativity

If the right path seemed lost with "Divine Providence", Deer Tick prove skilled at rediscovering themselves and a worthwhile creative spark with this new record, "Negativity". John McCauley exorcises demons and unhappy personal situations on an album that restores the band's roots and credibility. Given the strong result, we felt it was only right to dig deeper into the matter with John himself, who kindly agreed to answer our questions.

Hi John, how are you?

Hi Ricky, all good. I'm here at my place in New York. The weather's gorgeous today.

“Negativity” is a pretty strong title. Did writing and recording this album serve as a form of catharsis?

Writing songs has always been very therapeutic for me, so yeah, I think it did serve that purpose. That said, the title should be read in a tongue-in-cheek way, let's say.

The lyrics are sincere and hard-hitting. They might even throw some listeners off…

Personally, I don't care about that. I like being a bit outside the cliché, and it seems like some people appreciate it.

Back in April I read an interview where you talked about this new album as the evil twin brother of “War Elephant”. That's a strong statement. Do you still stand by it?

I think this record has my strongest and most direct songs since “War Elephant”, but I also find it a bit more “twisted”. Let's say it's something dark combined with more pop moments. That's why I think the evil twin description still holds up and still works.

The horn arrangements on the record are gorgeous!

Yeah, you're right, thanks. We worked with the guys from Grupo Fantasma, who did a really great job.

The album doesn't lack a pop side (“The Dream”), but it also has a more melancholic one (“Just Friend” or “Hey Doll”). Ambivalences that blend together well, though.

Sure, it's like that guy in the Batman movie: two faces, but one person.

What a beautiful song “Trash” is. Would you believe it reminds me of something by BB King?

Thanks Ricky, thanks a lot. I really wanted to give that track a strong rock-blues edge, and I managed to pull it off.

Is there an example on the record of something that came out really well and that you didn't expect?

Look, the Grupo Fantasma, who handled all the horn arrangements, really surprised me. I wasn't even there when they were adding their horn arrangements, so I had no idea what to expect or what I'd hear. And in the end, I can say I truly love what they did!

Thanks again John, I'll wrap up by complimenting you on the duet with Vanessa Carlton, which came out really well.

Thanks! Vanessa turned out to be a wonderful person, and it was great working with her. I can't wait to sing together again and collaborate with her in the future.

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