Now over thirty years deep, the Deftones' tenth record packs little novelty for old heads, yet will enthrall the recent surge of new TikTok fans. Private Music's carefully measured cuts of revelry delve into the many fractions of their motifs established over the past two decades. Handled with love and care, the band's production alongside Nick Raskulinecz delivers a gorgeous indulgent guitar tone. Dense and crooning, a chromatic aesthetic resonates full of expression. Its a foundation fit for Moreno to swoon in with his range of sensitive softness to shrill screams. Drums and bass fall into place around the duo, who in tandem make up a majority of the musical magic.
In peculiarity, its clearest reminiscent tracks seem to hit hardest. Cut Hands echo's Goon Squad pivoting act between meat head brutality and Moreno led emotive obscurity. Ecdysis' tight and choppy metal guitar riffs echo's moments on Ohms. The opening rhythmic spasm and atmospheric lunging riffs of My Mind Is A Mountain has that distinct familiarity too. Milk Of The Madonna strikes me as the standout track, sustaining tensions of its speedy tempo through transitions of bouncy grooves and power chord shoe gazing. It too is a welcome yet accustomed temperament.
Where the lines muddy, the band don't exactly encroach on new territory bar a few minutes of indifferent synth noodling. Enjoyable but not quite as memorable, they do emphasize how good this records texture is. Flicking back through the catalog, comparison highlights how each record felt like a step forward in aesthetic evolution. This time, the distance feels like a leap into an ocean of clarity. A dense and rich sound, including plenty of acoustic guitars. So to do the synth play a subtle yet pivotal role, weaving their grain into the mix, yet brilliantly breaking into the light on occasion.
Private Music feels like the bands yet classiest effort to date but fails to conquer fresh ground in terms of songwriting. Its the perfect record to satisfy fans old and new yet may loose it potency with time as a record like Gore did. I'm doubtful, my gut says this one will stick. I'm still really enjoying each and every spin!
Rating: 8/10