Daily Dose: Deer Tick, “Hey! Yeah!”

Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.

Deer Tick have announced a companion follow-up to 2017’s Deer Tick Vol. 1 and Deer Tick Vol. 2. It’s called Mayonnaise, perhaps a nod to last year’s condiment-inspired album art, and it’s out Feb. 1, 2019, via Partisan Records. The 13-track compilation album will feature reworked versions of songs from Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, as well as covers and a few brand new tracks. One new song, “Hey! Yeah!” is out today (Oct. 9), along with Deer Tick’s cover of George Harrison’s “Run of the Mill.” You can listen to “Hey! Yeah!” below and check out “Run of the Mill” via Spotify.

In typical Deer Tick fashion, “Hey! Yeah!” involves worn and weathered Southern rock and gritty vocals. It’s easy to hear why Deer Tick opted to release Mayonnaise as a companion album to Vols. 1 and 2, rather than an entirely separate project: The easy-going, toe-tapping rock of “Hey! Yeah!” fits right in alongside the relaxed fingerpicking and folksy storytelling of “Doomed from the Start” and “Tiny Fortunes,” from Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, respectively. “Hey! Yeah!” is tremendously fun, twangy rock ‘n’ roll, sure to please Deer Tick’s devoted fans.

“Hey! Yeah!” arrives with a kooky visualizer, animated by James Kerr at Scorpion Dagger, whom Deer Tick have enlisted previously to create videos for their music, including last year’s “Sea of Clouds“and “Jumpstarting.” This time around, three of the guys are depicted as walking jars of mayo, while a giant, cartoon version of frontman John J. McCauley tinkers with bottles of ketchup and mustard. The whole thing is reminiscent of talking food movies like Veggie Tales, but with, you know, condiments.

Following the release of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Deer Tick hit the road for a tour, often playing from a rotating list of covers that included The Velvet Underground and Ben Vaughn, several of which made it onto Mayonnaise. The band explained Mayonnaise’s mishmash of covers, new originals and reworks in a statement:

“On Mayonnaise, you’ll find alternate versions of songs from Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 that we feel have their own merit and wanted to share. We also decided to record some of the cover songs that Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 inspired us to play on our Twice Is Nice Tour. We had such a good time playing these covers live that it felt appropriate to document them here. And, lastly, if we are going into the studio, why not write a few new songs, record them, and give the fans something new to round everything out? So, here you go, this is Mayonnaise.

Listen to “Hey! Yeah!” below, then stick around for Deer Tick’s 2013 set for Paste at the Newport Folk Festival. Further down, glance at the Mayonnaise tracklist and album art.

Mayonnaise Tracklist:
01. Spirals
02. Limp Right Back (Alternate Version)
03. White City (The Pogues cover)
04. Old Lady
05. Run Of The Mill (George Harrison cover)
06. Strange, Awful Feeling
07. End Of The World (Alternate Version)
08. Hey! Yeah!
09. Pale Blue Eyes (Velvet Underground cover)
10. Memphis Chair
11. Too Sensitive For This World (Ben Vaughn cover)
12. Doomed From The Start (Alternate Version)
13. Cocktail (feat. Spencer Cullum Jr. of Steelism)

Mayonnaise Album Art: