Emotional Contracts, Deer Tick’s latest full-length album, explores the existential challenges that arise with the passage of time, infusing each song with the band’s trademark untamed spirit, honed over nearly two decades. Prior to collaborating with producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney), the Providence-based quartet spent months crafting demos in a persistently flooded warehouse in their hometown, braving a broken heating system and gaping roof holes to shape the album’s 10 passionately eloquent tracks. Emotional Contracts embodies the spirited energy of its creation, offering a poignant yet invigorating portrayal of aging gracefully without losing one’s essence.