It’s a masterpiece: Crying tears of joy and chewing on the crumbs

What can be said about “private music,” Deftones’ 2025 album release? Literally, it’s near perfect. Maybe it is just perfect. The harshest critics in the world will have to pry this album from fans’ cold, dead hands.  

Deftones has fed its fans what might be the best alternative rock album of the century, and they are licking it off the plate. Who can blame them? 

This album can be described very simply: wall of sound. Every song is like a tsunami hitting the ears at full force, with bass, drums and lyrics sending whoever it hits to some post-euphonic clarity. If music could be attractive, this would be its top model. 

Put the headphones on. Experience the spine shiver. Understand for the first time what ecstasy feels like, completely sober. Taste the umami of each song, digest the pit that forms in the stomach and make acquaintances with gratification.  

From last week’s singles review, it was clear listeners had mixed feelings going into the full album release. However, it is evident Deftones was saving the best songs for last. The full album is so much better than anyone anticipated for a band that’s been producing music for thirty years.  

They just don’t miss.  

The album starts off with “my mind is a mountain,” one of the singles previously released. It then jumps straight into “locked club,” which has a unique sound compared to their previous songs, instantly crushing the theory that each song on this album would call back to older pieces. When listening to “locked club,” there’s almost a heaviness that comes from the song probably from the lyrics and deep bass, which completely juxtaposes the ethereal backing vocals.   

Even more unique is next up on the tracklist, “ecdysis.” The bass on this song goes so incredibly hard, especially in the intro. It sounds almost like a video game, which is interesting because the visualizer is animated in a retro game style. The album has many delicious intros and bass lines, and “ecdysis” is no exception.  

By the way, ecdysis is the biological process of an animal shedding or molting its external body covering, which is necessary for growth and regeneration.  

Next comes “infinite source,” and if listeners hadn’t already, they’re crying now. Tears of joy. This song is just so raw and emotional, it’s a perfect song to cry in the dark to. Another interesting part of this song is the lyrics, which allude to the fact that Deftones have been performing for so long, “Last time adorning the stage … With love, we've chased and found … The last ride we're gonna take … Our final wave and bow … All of those nights, all of our dreams, all of these years … All of these times, all of our dreams, all of your cheers … I'm releasing, we are afloat.” 

Is this Deftones’ last album? 

Midway through the album, “souvenir” comes as a (kinda) reprieve from heavy bass and loud vocals, instead treating listeners to a near 2-minute-long outro, which is grounds for ascension on its own. It sounds like looking down on Earth from space as the oxygen slowly depletes. It might be what dying sounds like.  

Anyway! 

The long, reflective outro of “souvenir” transitions smoothly into “cXz,” which is another knockout on the album. Beyond the song itself, which is phenomenal, the title is actually an acronym for the covariance of x and z, which (in basic terms) means positive variables move together and negative variables move apart, potentially referencing the variability of love, which the song seems to be talking about.  

Many listeners love “i think about you all the time,” but overall, it falls flat and is an instant skip. The end.  

Had enough yet? Maybe the last few songs were just a little slow compared to the rest of the album. Never fear – here comes “milk of the madonna,” the second single release,to pick the tempo back up. 

Now, the best song on the album. Please (carefully) listen to this one at full volume flying down the highway. It changes life perspectives.  

Even for the non-musically inclined, “cut hands” is just so. So. Really there’s no other word to describe it, it’s perfect. It’s nasty, actually. Some songs are sick; this song is nasty. This song doesn’t wash its hands. This song sits proudly next to “In My Own Summer,” “Cherry Waves” and “Around the Fur.”  

Why? Listen to it. It changes time signatures several times throughout, like a motorcycle shifting into a different gear, just going Mach 10 at this point. It’s weaving through time signatures like weaving lanes, it’s dying and coming back in a fit of rage, the flatline is played like a fiddle.  

This song feels like throwing up and sensing the next wave coming, like getting caught in a torrential downpour and knowing you can’t dodge the drops, like slipping and fumbling but being unable to stop the fall. Absolutely a masterpiece. Put it in a vial and start injecting it.  

Chino Moreno is back to pseudo-rapping in “~metal dreams.” It’s a good song, but as a successor to “cut hands,” it falls a little flat. The same goes for “departing the body,” the final song on the album. The final song also has Chino’s voice low (nearly a D2, though fans can’t agree on whether this is truly his voice) and borderline creepy in the intro, once again contributing to the albums’ unique intros. While this side of Chino’s vocal range may not be for everyone, and the song itself is unimpressive, it is noteworthy Deftones is trying new things with this album.  

Overall, this album is truly delectable. Fans are fed, ears are blessed and Deftones has once again proved it’s impossible for them to release a bad album. Should they have changed the tracklist order to refine the pacing? Maybe. But nobody is nitpicking over that. Listeners’ biggest gripe is the use of AI for the visuals, but that’s just the visuals. The music is the most important takeaway. 

So, listen to it. Listen to it. Put it in your mouth and chew on it until it turns to rubber. Put it under your pillow and dream about it. Listen to it.