So Deftones dropped their tenth album and, for me, it couldn’t come soon enough. The first two singles were stunners, and I just had a feeling this album would be something special. I’m here to tell you I was not wrong. Private Music is no big reinvention, no throwback album – just the band being themselves, which at this point means crafting songs that can crush you and caress you in the same breath.
I’ve been listening to Deftones since Adrenaline came out, back when nobody knew what to call the weird heavy music scene they were part of. I’ve watched them go from “those nu-metal guys” to critical darlings to festival headliners that kids half my age worship.
First track, “My Mind Is a Mountain,” opens with this serrated riff that sounds menacing as hell, but then Chino comes in and the whole thing shifts into this more measured groove. It’s such a Deftones thing to do – make you brace for impact, then pull you into something melodic instead. Nick Raskulinecz is producing again (first time since 2010), and the sound is massive. Everything hits hard, but there’s still space in the mix.
This dynamic is present throughout the entire record. Take “Locked Club” – aggressive, staccato guitar work, but Chino’s singing in this high falsetto that sounds like it might just float away. “Ecdysis” gets into some of that heavier, churning territory but then breaks into something unexpectedly uplifting. The song title means shedding skin, and maybe that’s what this feels like – painful but necessary growth. “Cut Hands” is the real standout for me though. Chino exudes a confident and almost taunting demeanour, while the entire band effortlessly swaggers behind him.
The band dynamics feel different now too. Stephen Carpenter’s always been the heavy riff guy while Chino gravitates toward the prettier stuff, but those boundaries seem looser here. Stephen’s guitar work has this weightless quality even when it’s pummelling you. Chino moves between whispered vocals and full-throated screaming without it feeling jarring. Abe Cunningham keeps everything locked in rhythmically while giving the songs room to breathe and sway. Frank Delgado used to feel like an add-on, the turntable guy, but now his atmospheric touches guide the mood of entire songs.
One of the quieter moments that really got to me is “I Think About You All the Time.” It doesn’t go for the big chorus that old-school Deftones might have built up to. Instead, it just sits there, patient and a little fragile. It reminds me of their softer stuff like “Minerva,” but with this worn-in feeling that comes from being in a band for thirty years.
“Souvenir” shimmers like “Sextape” but with darker edges creeping in. The closer, “Departing the Body,” fades away eloquently, leaving you with a sense of unease rather than a neat conclusion. It’s like they’re more interested in atmosphere than resolution, which honestly feels right.
If Ohms felt like a band trying to touch on every era of their career at once, Private Music feels more focused. It’s cohesive without being boring, experimental without disappearing up its own arse (sorry, I’m British). It doesn’t feel like they’re trying to prove anything anymore—they’re just making the music they want to make.
It’s weird seeing Deftones at this point in their career. Bands they used to tour with are playing nostalgia circuits, while Gen Z kids are discovering them through TikTok videos and festival sets. Somehow, this album works for both crowds. It doesn’t ignore where they came from, but it’s not stuck there either.
Look, Private Music might not quite dethrone White Pony or Diamond Eyes. Those records are untouchable. But this one feels right for where they are now – thirty years in, still curious, still willing to mess around with the balance between heavy and delicate. They’ve stopped trying to prove anything and it shows.
When I see them next month at the Bell Centre (with Idles, no less), I’ll be curious how these tracks will translate live. Deftones have always been better in person – their music gets this physical intensity that recordings can’t quite capture. But even listening at home or in the car, Private Music hits this sweet spot between intimate and communal. It reminds you why people have been obsessing over this band for three decades.
Private Music is out this Friday, August 22, via Reprise/Warner.
Watch the Zane Lowe interview with Deftones below:
