Every week, our Songs of the Week column highlights the perfect new tracks from the final seven days. Discover our new favorites on our Top Songs playlist, and for extra nice songs from rising artists, take heed to our New Sounds playlist. This week, Deftones make their anticipated return with “my thoughts is a mountain.”
Deftones’ fanbase has been anticipating new music from the alt-metal icons for half a decade. It’s not just like the band has been dormant; They’ve stored up a reasonably constant touring schedule and are even set to kick off one more North American run this fall (get tickets here). Ever for the reason that act launched 2020’s Ohms, although, their most devoted followers have been drooling over trace after trace that one other challenge was on its method — together with us, who optimistically included Deftones on our Most Anticipated Albums of 2024 list. Properly, the long-awaited day has lastly come, because the beloved act has lastly introduced a brand new album, private music, and unveiled its first single, “my thoughts is a mountain.”
So, was it well worth the wait?
If I needed to guess, I’d say a big portion of their Deftones listeners would reply with a convincing, “Sure!” The observe instantly comes out swinging, launching proper into drop-tuned chugs and pummeling drums with out discover. The next two-ish minutes preserve the power (and the quantity) at a max, quickly transitioning right into a washed-out, distorted verse full with Chino Moreno’s trademark wails. Earlier than lengthy, the entire thing wraps up neatly with some extra chuggage whereas Moreno reaches the climax of his vocal efficiency.
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All issues thought-about, “my thoughts is a mountain” ought to fulfill followers of each Deftones’ most aggressive, metal-leaning work and their shoegazier, extra atmospheric numbers. It’s obtained uncooked power and head-banging rhythms to fulfill the previous, whereas the verses supply sufficient melody and haziness to enchantment to the latter.
On the similar time, it’s slightly underwhelming as the primary assertion for his or her new album cycle. Don’t get me improper, it’s a more-than-passable late-career Deftones tune, but it surely lacks a sure wow issue. The observe kind of picks up the place the band left off on Ohms, failing to showcase any actual discernible change in route, stylistic progress, or distinguishing components that will assist set up a singular artistic identification for non-public music. The tune’s brevity and lack of a powerful hook (at the least in comparison with the all-time nice hooks littered all through Deftones’ again catalog) definitely don’t assist make the tune really feel any extra substantial, as effectively.
The result’s a tune that hits exhausting whereas it’s on however doesn’t go away a lot of a mark as soon as it’s over. Maybe it’s unfair to count on a lot, however Deftones and Deftones alone are accountable for setting such a excessive bar. “my thoughts is a mountain” might have been an amazing deep album reduce or, relying on how the remainder of non-public music seems, even a killer second or third single. As Deftones’ grand return, nevertheless, it feels extra like a reasonably large hill.
— Jonah Krueger
