After 5 years, it’s finally here. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, Private Music is Deftones’ newest album. We, Natalie Abdon (10) and Stella Taylor (10), had the opportunity to review Deftones’s 10th studio album.
Deftones started teasing the new album with images and lyrics on their social media platforms. They also dropped other hints at their recent live shows. After their shows, cryptic graphics came onto the screen. All it read was “Private Music”.
In early July, Deftones shared 2 singles off Private Music, one of them being “My Mind is a Mountain.” In the beginning of the song, the band describes feeling stuck in their current state of mind with lyrics such as,“We’ve been waiting here patiently. Locked in this state, clocking our time.” As the song progresses, listeners are reminded that they have chosen to address their issues and confront the “storm” within their minds. We overall loved this song, not only because of the message, but also because the background instrumentals were captivating.
The second single they released was “Milk of the Madonna”. We couldn’t find a clear message in this song, but themes like pain and suffering with tons of religious nods with the lyrics “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost”. We enjoyed the darker theme of this song, and thought it fit perfectly as a single and introduction to the album.
On August 22nd, 2025, Deftones finally released the album. It begins with My Mind is a Mountain, a prereleased single.
The second track is titled “Locked Club.” Although brief, it conveys a powerful message. It goes on about being in a group or movement, and also evokes spiritual awakening. The overall message of this song is to join the “movement” with lyrics that include “Join our parade or be left out.”
The third track, and our personal favorite, is Ecydysis. This word is a scientific term for shedding old skin. The song uses imagery like water, fire, and winds to emphasize that change, whether internal and external, is necessary. The song talks about feeling overwhelmed with the world around you, but it can force you to take a look around and change. Our favorite lyric was,”Reclaim their environment, a new phase arrives.” The lyrics show that you can reclaim your life and change.
The fourth track is another one of our favorites, it’s titled “infinite source.” It opens with great background instrumentals, including the drums and the guitar. The song sounds as if the band is looking back at their bittersweet music career. The lyrics are deeply emotional and have some fans wondering if the band is hinting at their retirement. “A final wave and bow”, “The love we’ve chased and found, and
The last ride we’re gonna take” supports the fan’s speculations. However, the song could just be about the ending of their last era and tour.
The next track, titled “Souvenir”, sounds ethereal and feels like you’re floating through space. It describes drifting together and apart and embracing the unknown. Our overall favorite lyric was,”As you drift out in space In time, we unite again.”
“cXz” is the sixth track on the album and describes how we perceive time and history, sometimes it’s true and sometimes it’s warped. The song doesn’t have many lyrics and is repetitive, however we think that it works with the song’s theme. “Past, present tense…One is up, one is down, One is lost, one is there.” These lyrics showcase the true confusion in time and/or history.
Deftones’ drummer Abe Cunningham called the seventh song on the album, “I Think About You All The Time,” the ”ultimate love song.” The song describes feeling deeply in love with someone and being on the ride that is called life together.
The 8th track was the preleased single “Milk of the Madonna”.
The 9th song, titled “Cut Hands”, is more gloomy. We interpret this song as the speaker witnessing a friend emotionally spiralling into a bad mental state. The speaker is choosing to walk away after continuously being dragged into their messes. We think the deepest lyric is,”I can tell you the attention of which you fish isn’t coming.” We see it as someone “casting” out for attention or help, and nobody responding.
“~metal dream” is the 10th track. It gives off a lush, ethereal feeling. It gave us the vibe of drifting through a vivid dream that is fragile and in some way eerie. There is also imagery like sinking, embracing, and floating. Some lyrics that support that are “Sinking inside a velvet tomb, swaying out of consciousness.” The song creates a calm atmostphere, almost like escaping from reality. We really enjoyed this song because it reminded us of classic Deftones, when their songs were slightly haunting.
The 11th track, “Departing the Body,” reminded us of “~ Metal Dream.” It shared the idea of an out-of-body feeling with lyrics like “We hang in space” and “Our low-res bodies sway, we watch these grains dissolve.” It evokes imagery of floating beyond physical existence and emphasizing the feeling of drifting beyond reality. The atmospheric guitars and lead singer Chino Moreno’s soft, almost whispering at times, add to the sensation of being in an otherworldly state. Overall, this song caught our attention, and we feel as though it was the perfect song chosen for the album closer.
Overall, we think this album is a must-listen for all fans of alternative, rock, and metal music. We believe this to be a “no skip album” and one of Deftones’ best.
