Every week, our Songs of the Week column highlights the very best new tracks from the final seven days. Discover our new favorites on our Prime Songs playlist, and for extra nice songs from rising artists, hearken 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 saved up a fairly constant touring schedule and are even set to kick off yet one more North American run this fall (get tickets right here). Ever because the act launched 2020’s Ohms, although, their most devoted followers have been drooling over trace after trace that one other venture was on its means — together with us, who optimistically included Deftones on our Most Anticipated Albums of 2024 record. Nicely, the long-awaited day has lastly come, because the beloved act has lastly introduced a brand new album, non-public music, and unveiled its first single, “my thoughts is a mountain.”
So, was it definitely worth the wait?
If I needed to guess, I’d say a big portion of their Deftones listeners would reply with a powerful, “Sure!” The monitor instantly comes out swinging, launching proper into drop-tuned chugs and pummeling drums with out discover. The next two-ish minutes maintain the vitality (and the amount) 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 acquired uncooked vitality and head-banging rhythms to fulfill the previous, whereas the verses supply sufficient melody and haziness to attraction to the latter.
On the similar time, it’s somewhat underwhelming as the primary assertion for his or her new album cycle. Don’t get me mistaken, it’s a more-than-passable late-career Deftones tune, however it lacks a sure wow issue. The monitor roughly picks up the place the band left off on Ohms, failing to showcase any actual discernible change in course, stylistic development, or distinguishing elements that may assist set up a novel inventive identification for non-public music. The tune’s brevity and lack of a powerful hook (no less than 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 depart a lot of a mark as soon as it’s over. Maybe it’s unfair to anticipate a lot, however Deftones and Deftones alone are chargeable for setting such a excessive bar. “my thoughts is a mountain” may have been a fantastic deep album lower 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
