Article Contributed by Its Alive Media
Published on 2026-07-25
Ben Vaughn and Americana rockers Deer Tick have announced a new collaborative album, Magnetic East: The Deer Tick Sessions, set for release Friday, October 30, via Yep Roc Records. The first single, “Imitation Wood Grain,” is out now.
The album was produced by Vaughn and Deer Tick and features songs written by Vaughn with new arrangements created by the band. In an unconventional and experimental recording approach, the musicians agreed that Vaughn would only sing on the record, while Deer Tick would contribute everything else.
Vaughn’s usual roles as guitarist, composer, arranger and producer were set aside in favor of the collaborative nature of Magnetic East.
“It was a thrill to create these songs with Ben,” said Deer Tick’s John McCauley. “As big fans of his songwriting, we were honored to be a part of this collaboration.”
“I wanted an opportunity to hear my songs come out of the speakers in a way that didn’t sound like anything I would come up with myself,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn explained that he spent much of the recording sessions reading the local Providence, Rhode Island, newspaper in the control room while the band worked out each arrangement. Deer Tick then shared the arrangements with him for the first time during the initial takes of the songs.
Vaughn has partnered with Yep Roc Records for the release of Magnetic East, joining a label for the first time in more than 20 years. The independent label is a natural fit for the new album.
“We’ve been fans of Ben’s for decades,” said Glenn Dicker, co-owner of Yep Roc Records. “He produced several Los Straitjackets records in the ’90s, and we feel privileged to finally have the opportunity to work with him on one of his records. His collaboration with Deer Tick is another example of how Ben continues to push things creatively.”
Deer Tick and Vaughn will return to Rhode Island, where Magnetic East was recorded, to perform together Friday at the Newport Folk Festival.
Vaughn’s newest album arrives amid a retrospective of some of his most notable work. The iconic 1996 Ween album 12 Golden Country Greats, which Vaughn produced, is set for a deluxe reissue July 31 through Rhino Records.
The expanded edition will be released as a three-LP and three-CD collection featuring extensive new liner notes from Vaughn.
Magnetic East: The Deer Tick Sessions captures the unavoidable pull of Vaughn’s native East Coast roots across 10 genre-bending tracks. That same pull of nostalgia weaves through memories of a past love on the first single, “Imitation Wood Grain.”
The album marks a new high point in Vaughn’s career. The mutual respect and shared obsession with music that Vaughn and Deer Tick bring to the project shine throughout the thoughtfully crafted collaboration.
Magnetic East: The Deer Tick Sessions Tracklist
All tracks feature Deer Tick.
