The Sacramento-based alternative metal band Deftones is back with a new album almost forty years after their initial inception. Released on 22 August, ‘private music’ features key influences from the band’s previous works, including ‘Saturday Night Wrist’ (2006), ‘Diamond Eyes’ (2010), and ‘Koi No Yokan’ (2012).
Hearing the rumours that Deftones were releasing a brand-new full-length album earlier this year immediately set expectations high for both existing and new fans. Upon the release of the first single, ‘my mind is a mountain’, I immediately had the song in my playlists and could not wait to hear more. The drums from Abe Cunningham in the intro of the song immediately caught my attention, and I believe Deftones did an excellent job at showcasing their classic sound throughout this song – proving their late-career album equally matches their previous work in terms of quality.
This then continued onto the release of the second and final single, ‘milk of the madonna’ – one of my personal favourites from the album from that moment on. I adore Chino Moreno’s vocals on the repeated chorus lines “Holy ghost / I’m on fire / Holy spirit / I’m on fire”, combined with the layered guitars from Stephen Carpenter. The choice to release those specific songs as promotional singles was spot on in my opinion, and I think they reflect the sound of the rest of ‘private music’ very well.
‘locked club’, the next song on the album, is another one of my favourites, primarily from the pre-chorus to the key lines of the track. Slightly more intense than the promotional tracks, I believe it showcases the foundations of Deftones’ musical work exceptionally well, while also vocally branching out and picking up its tempo. The second-most-streamed track after the two promotional singles at the time of writing, ‘locked club’ proves to be well-appreciated by other fans early on since the album’s official release.
The track ‘ecdysis’, meaning the process of shedding of old skin in reptiles, interestingly matches the album cover displaying a white snake. In its lyrics, the song describes a transformation from disaster to a new setting, and uses experimental production in its opening notes before moving on to a hard-hitting and almost emotional chorus.
‘infinite source’ marks another personal favourite of mine, opening with phenomenal guitars which continue on throughout the song. In its sound, it describes a new yet still totally Deftones-like sound – and I love to see how the band has branched out and experimented on this record while still acknowledging and honouring their classic base sound. ‘infinite source’ is so far the most streamed track on ‘private music’ after the two pre-released singles, proving it to be a new fan favourite.
In ‘souvenir’, the longest track on the album, the tender vocals from frontman Chino Moreno shine particularly well, and in its production, the lyrics describe a trusting and intimate, perhaps romantic, relationship, while in its sound, it is a great mix between ‘Koi No Yokan’ (2012) and the shoegaze influences from the band’s self-titled 2003 album. The nearly two-minute outro at the end of the track features works from keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado, before smoothly progressing onto the next song.
Track six, ‘cXz’, stands out to me for its overall rapid and polarising tempo, smoothing out the sounds of their previous releases ‘Ohms’ (2020) and ‘Gore’ (2016). I personally haven’t heard this track be talked about as much as some of the others on this album, but I personally appreciate the way it mixes production to honour themes of time, memory, perception, and the blurring of life events and memories.
While ‘i think about you all the time’ starts off slower than some other songs on the album, it does an excellent job at portraying a scenery of waves, seas, and ships throughout the track. It is much more fragile and careful in its execution, but the toned-down guitars still form some of the highlights of the song for me, rapidly building up around the two-minute mark of the track as if to execute a peak not only in the song, but also in the relationship Chino is describing. Upon re-listening, this song was immediately bumped up to my top five.
‘cut hands’ switches up from the previous track from the get-go, exemplifying a sense of unease and disconnection through its grungy influences and heavy, harsh vocals from Chino. Though one of the heavier tracks on the album, I personally love the final chorus in terms of its vocal execution, and especially the final line of “You’re running out of pennies / No pulling me off my plain”.
The almost dreamlike and gothic in its execution track ‘~metal dream’ adds a sharp edge of intimacy as the album closes off. Though so far the least-streamed track, I appreciate the start riffs especially, and the fast-paced vocals match the experimental sound that is maintained throughout the rest of the album.
Finally, the closing six-minute track, ‘departing the body’, takes the record in a more eerie direction from the first few seconds. Building up with excellent bass and guitar notes before the track escalates – something Deftones have always done exceptionally well – only adds to the emotion as the album concludes.
Having worked on the production of this album with Nick Raskulinecz, who previously worked with the band to produce their albums ‘Diamond Eyes’ (2010) and ‘Koi No Yokan’ (2012), I believe Deftones’ new release lived up to the expectations of both younger and older fans. For fans of bands such as Loathe and Thornhill, as well as former Deftones fans curious to hear where the band is taking their sound post-pandemic, I believe this album will not disappoint.
As a long-term Deftones fan, this record certainly exceeded the expectations I initially had for it, though it features many brand-new and clearly experimental notes and tracks. Hearing from other fans so far, it appears my opinion of the record is matched equally by others, and I cannot wait to see how Deftones execute the new songs in their live versions.
Deftones are set to commence their ‘private music’ tour on 24 August in Edmonton, Canada, before making their way through the United States, the UK, and Europe. For those looking to get into Deftones’ music – now is the time!
So good!