{"id":2441,"date":"2025-09-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=2441"},"modified":"2025-09-30T15:28:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T19:28:22","slug":"deftones-private-music-a-studio-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2025\/09\/24\/deftones-private-music-a-studio-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Deftones\u2019 Private Music: A Studio Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By James Cochran, Photo Editor, and Ashlyn Swaggerty, Social Media Intern<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"A
The artwork for Deftones’ first full-length album in over five years. The alternative artwork has a purple background. | Reprise \/ Warner Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On August 22, 2025, Deftones released Private Music,<\/em> their highly anticipated first album in over five years. The album currently has two singles: \u201cMy Mind is a Mountain\u201d, which was released on July 10, 2025, and \u201cMilk of the Madonna\u201d, which was released exactly two weeks before the album was released, the former peaking at 11 on Billboard\u2019s US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and the latter peaking at 23 on the same chart. The album\u2019s recording personnel includes lead vocalist\/co-founder Chino Moreno and lead guitarist\/co-founder Stephen Carpenter are backed up by longtime member Abe Cunningham on the drums and, the newest member of the band, their touring bassist Fred Sablan. Moreno’s voice has changed (pun intended) in a positive way and uses different approaches to his vocals, while Carpenter and Cunningham continue to innovate with their playing and Sablan brings his unique live playing skills to the studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stylistically, the album’s packaging and text style is a departure from previous albums in Deftones\u2019 discography; the album title and song titles are all written in lowercase, with the exception of the album\u2019s spacey sixth track, \u201ccYz.\u201d For fans who bought the album at a record store, the cover is purple, while on streaming services and physical releases at big-box stores, the cover is green; not only does this increase the value of a physical copy, it also gives two unique perspectives to the album\u2019s artwork. The album is also shorter than the last three of the band\u2019s albums, clocking in at 42:22, a length for an album that would be more common in the long-playing record era. With 11 total tracks, here are our personal favourite cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Mind is a Mountain\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The first track on the album and the first single released in promotion of it, \u201cMy Mind is a Mountain\u201d is about the inner conflict we all face between our thoughts and feelings. The title uses mountains as a metaphor for the thoughts and how overwhelming they can be, while feelings are conveyed through the symbolism of a storm. Abe Cunningham\u2019s use of the ride cymbal makes the song sound like there’s two different tempos going on, creating a mind-bending feeling that is unique to the track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Think About You All The Time\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The lyrics are simple yet captivating. The repetitive nature of the song draws the listeners in, urging them to wonder who \u201cYou\u201d in the title is. The lyrics leave the answer up for interpretation, allowing people to relate to the song in their own personal way. However, longtime listeners of the band believe it\u2019s about their former bassist, Chi Cheng, who passed away in 2013 after a four year coma. Whatever the meaning, the song has a sense of yearning that can only come from true loss and heartbreak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInfinite Source\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This song alludes to Moreno\u2019s feelings about being in the band and performing. He sings about the \u201cfinal song\u201d and \u201clast bow,\u201d as if to say that this is their last album, singing, \u201cI\u2019m releasing \/ We\u2019re afloat.\u201d If this truly is their last album, this song cues the audience in that they’re happy about it \u2013 they\u2019re afloat, which is a big jump from the emotional turmoil from their earlier songs on the album such as \u201cMy Mind is a Mountain.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMilk of the Madonna\u201d <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With guitar and drumming reminiscent of 90s era Godsmack, this second single feels like a tribute to the sound of the late 90s-early 2000s rock and metal. It\u2019s really exciting to see the band bring elements from their past material, showing they never forgot their origins. With a lot of 90s and 2000s bands returning to the studio in the past few years, it’s safe to say that the Y2K era has made a welcome return.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only negative thing we have to say about this album overall is it does have a few issues in its mixing and mastering: the vocals tend to get drowned out by the instruments, especially by the guitars, and the music is mastered too loud, which causes it to sound artificially loud even at low volumes. Perhaps the mixing and mastering is different on the CD and vinyl releases than digital but, because most listeners will be using some form of digital copy to enjoy the album on the go or while studying, they\u2019re still something to critique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Private Music <\/em>is a great comeback for a band with 35+ years under their belt. With Moreno utilizing different vocal techniques, unique uses of synths and guitars to blend together into really unique sound effects, and creative usage of transitions between songs in the style of Linkin Park’s Meteora, <\/em>it\u2019s clear that the band spent a lot of time and effort to put this album together. If this truly is their last full-length album, we hope they will focus on making EPs and release the occasional single. Anything to get more of what they\u2019ve got in store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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