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Each week, our Songs of the Week column highlights the best new tracks from the last seven days. Find our new favorites on our Top Songs playlist, and for more great songs from emerging artists, listen to our New Sounds playlist. This week, Deftones make their anticipated return with “my mind is a mountain.”
Deftones’ fanbase has been anticipating new music from the alt-metal icons for half a decade. It’s not like the band has been dormant; They’ve kept up a pretty consistent touring schedule and are even set to kick off yet another North American run this fall (get tickets here). Ever since the act released 2020’s Ohms, though, their most dedicated followers have been drooling over hint after hint that another project was on its way — including us, who optimistically included Deftones on our Most Anticipated Albums of 2024 list. Well, the long-awaited day has finally come, as the beloved act has finally announced a new album, private music, and unveiled its first single, “my mind is a mountain.”
So, was it worth the wait?
If I had to guess, I’d say a large portion of their Deftones listeners would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” The track immediately comes out swinging, launching right into drop-tuned chugs and pummeling drums without notice. The following two-ish minutes keep the energy (and the volume) at a max, soon transitioning into a washed-out, distorted verse complete with Chino Moreno’s trademark wails. Before long, the whole thing wraps up neatly with some more chuggage while Moreno reaches the climax of his vocal performance.
All things considered, “my mind is a mountain” should satisfy fans of both Deftones’ most aggressive, metal-leaning work and their shoegazier, more atmospheric numbers. It’s got raw energy and head-banging rhythms to satisfy the former, while the verses offer enough melody and haziness to appeal to the latter.
At the same time, it’s a little underwhelming as the first statement for their new album cycle. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a more-than-passable late-career Deftones tune, but it lacks a certain wow factor. The track more or less picks up where the band left off on Ohms, failing to showcase any real discernible change in direction, stylistic growth, or distinguishing factors that would help establish a unique creative identity for private music. The song’s brevity and lack of a strong hook (at least compared to the all-time great hooks littered throughout Deftones’ back catalog) certainly don’t help make the tune feel any more substantial, as well.
The result is a song that hits hard while it’s on but doesn’t leave much of a mark once it’s over. Perhaps it’s unfair to expect so much, but Deftones and Deftones alone are responsible for setting such a high bar. “my mind is a mountain” could have been a great deep album cut or, depending on how the rest of private music turns out, even a killer second or third single. As Deftones’ grand return, however, it feels more like a fairly large hill.
— Jonah Krueger
English (US) · 