American nu-metal band Deftones have paved the way as being a pioneering band that has successfully bridged the genres of metal, alternative rock and shoegaze into a sound that is deeply emotional, alluring, and introspective.
The long-awaited moment for the new Deftones tenth album, private music, is finally here. Five years after their album Ohms, the band have once again to depict an animal theme with their album cover. In this case a white snake, which symbolises the concept of ecdysis, meaning the ability to shed oneself and represent the spiritual meaning of rebirth and transformation. The idea is to let go of the old and emotions or attachments that no longer serve you. So, you can heal from them, making room for a new phase of life and growth.
So the question that will be on everyone’s mind is, will you be disappointed? To answer that: no, you will not.
As private music opens with the song my mind is a mountain, it sonically and lyrically paints a distinctive picture of an overwhelming sense of inner struggle, like a storm inside one’s mind. Exploring themes of fate, endurance and thought and contemplating the idea of why humans endure mental battles but also showing strength and resilience. The title represents that it can feel like climbing a mountain and symbolises the challenge that it can be, with the added element of it feeling like a storm and the endurance that is required to move through it. Setting the scene for the recurring motif of facing struggles as a way to grow.
locked club feels like a track that has a tribal and collective energy towards it. As it is about identity, belonging and having strength within unity, especially seen in the lyrics of “Join our parade or be left out”. Making it become both an invitation and warning, encapsulation the album’s tension between unity and isolation. Balancing this notion of chaos and calm.
As discussed previously, the song ecdysis shows this dominating theme of transformation. The bass intro sets a tense, grounding tone, while the dominating guitar sounds drive the song’s energy forward. Drawing on this imagery of floods, fire, and plague suggests destruction leading to rebirth. It’s about natural cycles, rivers swelling, towns drowned, flames reclaiming, which all make metaphors for personal or collective renewal. The song embodies both devastation and the cleansing power of change.
The mood and tone shift with the pinnacle song, infinite source, as it gives the sense of being a farewell anthem. The distorted guitar riffs give weight and tension, while the soft, emotive vocals add warmth and intimacy. The imagery from the lyrics of “Our final wave and bow” suggests the end of a performance, career, or even a chapter in life. Likewise, it depicts the idea of being nostalgic and celebratory, looking back at dreams, nights, and years together while raising a glass. At its heart, the song is about gratitude, closure, and finding beauty in endings.
souvenir makes for a dreamlike love song, where it drifts between space and intimacy. Since the softer, dreamy vocals create an ethereal atmosphere, they contrast with harsher bursts of sound that punctuate emotion. While the downtuned bass and guitar add weight and tension. It mixes the cosmic imagery of space and time with tenderness. It is about love as being both infinite and fragile, a souvenir of shared experience, and a reminder of divine connection even as time fades.
In stark contrast, the song cXz is a song that is abstract, mathematical, and almost sci-fi. Therefore, the atmospheric textures and dominating drums create a sense of tension and movement. At the same time, the contrasting sounds reflect the disorienting nature of memory and time. Equally, it plays with the idea of time, memory, and perception. Reflecting on how the past, present, and future blur together and how memories can fracture. Creating a sense of disorientation in time, almost like a glitch in consciousness.
i think about you all the time steadies the pace of the album because it shows that love is expressed through ocean imagery of waves, ships, and calm water throughout the song. The fragile melodies and tender vocal delivery from Chino Moreno convey longing and devotion. The track is about constancy and intimacy, depicting the comfort of being wrapped in someone’s presence. Thus, the lyrics suggest deep reliance and timelessness in the relationship. So, no matter what changes, the feeling remains the same.
The record then ignites with milk of the madonna, as it makes for a fiery and apocalyptic, almost religious in tone. The soaring vocals from Moreno cut through the atmospheric layers, which amplifies this intensity and ritualistic feel. So, the imagery of storms, holy fire, and intoxication through divine presence suggests spiritual ecstasy and chaos combined. The repeated lyrics of “I’m on fire” blur this sense of destruction with transcendence. Almost like a ritual feeling and sense of purification and divine madness.
cut hands follows with a starksound of being technological and confrontational. Trip-hop beats, and experimental soundscapes create a sense of unease. While grungy textures and punchy drums drive the intensity. Harsh vocals from Moreno emphasise this emotion of burnout, disconnection, and frustration with the dynamic of modern digital or emotional overload.
Shifting back into dreamlike surrealism, ~metal dream showcases a romantic and ethereal, almost gothic in tone. Since the moody soundscapes establish a dreamlike world. Whilst the rap-style vocals at the start add an edge of intimacy. It describes sinking into love like an abyss, with imagery of forests, velvet, crystals, and gold-drenched days. Where dreams are eternal, offering escape from reality. It’s both sensual and otherworldly and about timeless connection, especially, with the lyrics “Off we sleep and soon we’ll sink a perfect pose forever”.
Ending with the six-minute song departing the body, the album dissolves into something both haunting and hopeful. As the track starts with an eerie sound, but underneath this, it has an undertone of being hopeful and about leaving the physical form behind and passing into the light. The song, layered with shimmering textures and shoegazey vocals, creates a spacious, ethereal sound, while the contemplative tone evokes reflection. Therefore, it makes for a fitting finale, lifting the record into the unknown.
Overall, the album speaks for itself as it moves between the sense of destruction and rebirth. Referring back to this notion of the snake theme and the realisation that endings are beginnings. The deeper meaning of it being like the ouroboros of a snake consuming itself and being connected to natures cycle of life, death and rebirth. The album will have different elements where the listener can resonate with and feel all the emotions that are contained within each song. It is definitely worth the wait, and I shall look forward to hearing what the audience thinks about this album. As for me, private music is a perfect name for the album because there is something intimate sounding about the name, which makes for a personal and reflective journey for the band’s collective creativity and individuality. You can tell that a lot of thought and time were dedicated to making this album become a reality.
For for of: Loathe, Superheaven, Thornhill
‘private music’ by Deftones is out now on Reprise Records.
Words by Zena Morris
