It’s official — Deftones are back.

The Sacramento alt-metal legends have just announced their long-awaited follow-up to Ohms (2020), and it’s titled Private Music. The band teased the new album across social media last week with cryptic images, eerie loops, and the signature Deftones moodiness — and now it’s real.

Here’s what we know so far about Private Music, and why fans should be excited

Deftones fans, it’s time to get excited — the Sacramento alt-metal legends have officially announced their upcoming album, Private Music, dropping August 22, 2025.

After months of cryptic teasers, strange symbols, and hypnotic video loops, the band has confirmed what many hoped: Private Music is real, and it’s coming sooner than we thought.

Here’s everything we know so far.

The Sound of

Private Music

From early hints and studio leaks, Private Music is shaping up to be one of the band’s most atmospheric and emotionally charged records to date. Vocalist Chino Moreno described it as “a sonic journal — personal, haunting, and more layered than anything we’ve done before.”

Think dreamlike textures, metallic tension, and that Deftones balance between beauty and heaviness. Fans of White Pony and Koi No Yokan are in for a ride.

Produced by Terry Date (Again)

Longtime collaborator Terry Date returns as producer, continuing the creative chemistry that made Ohms, Around the Fur, and White Pony fan favorites. According to sources close to the band, the recording sessions were analog-heavy and intentionally minimal in editing — letting the raw emotion bleed through.

Lead Single:

“Ritual Tape”

The first single, “Ritual Tape,” is expected to release any day now. Leaked snippets suggest a hypnotic, mid-tempo track built on swirling guitars and distant, ghostly vocals. It’s classic Deftones — seductive, unsettling, and undeniably powerful.

Visuals, Vinyl & More

In true Deftones fashion, Private Music will be more than just an album. Expect a full visual companion, limited-edition vinyl variants, and a zine curated by the band. The artwork, rumored to be created in collaboration with a Japanese experimental visual artist, looks to be as strange and surreal as the music itself.

Mark Your Calendar: August 22, 2025

Private Music drops August 22, just as the summer ends — setting the stage for a fall of introspection, isolation, and sonic escape.