DEFTONES’ Chino Moreno on Sobriety and ‘Private Music’: “Maybe Because Of This, I Feel Like We Made One Of Our Best Records”

With the release of their highly anticipated tenth studio album private music just days away, Deftones frontman Chino Moreno is opening up about a personal transformation that has shaped the new record.

The album’s themes of change have been hinted at since its announcement — from the albino snake on the cover to the track “ecdysis,” a reference to the shedding of skin. Beyond symbolism, Moreno himself has undergone a major shift in recent years: getting sober during the pandemic.

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Speaking with Zane Lowe, Moreno reflected on how that period forced him to confront his lifestyle:

“Through the pandemic was when it all came to a head… I just did not feel creative at all. During that time, I would go down in my studio, pick up a guitar for a minute, and then I’d go put on a record, listen to something, crack a beer… every day. And then it got earlier, like 10 o’clock in the morning. I just got sad and lonely — I think everybody was feeling that way. I know I’m not the only person that was feeling very isolated and just lonely.”

That realization eventually led him to make the biggest change of his life: sobriety.

“Going through all that, and then coming out of it and then realizing that I want to do something different… I felt like I woke up. And when I started writing again, everything was a lot clearer.”

Moreno also admitted that drinking had affected how he viewed his own performances:

“I would never be able to watch any live performance of myself. If one would come on, I would just cringe… it really made me understand I was just not really happy with myself. I knew I could do better. I knew there was a better version [of myself].”

In a new conversation with The New York Times, Moreno expanded on how sobriety directly impacted private music:

“I went through that thing a lot of artists fear, like whether this or that drug has something to do with my creativity. But honestly, the minute that I started being creative without it, I realized I didn’t need it. And now, maybe because of this, I feel like we made one of our best records — it stands right alongside anything that we’ve ever done.”

private music arrives this Friday, August 22nd, coinciding with the launch of Deftones’ massive North American headlining tour.

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Tour Dates

With Phantogram & The Barbarians Of California:
08/22 Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
08/24 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
08/25 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
08/27 Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
08/29 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
08/30 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
09/01 Buffalo, NY – Key Bank Center
09/07 Quebec City, QC – Centre Videotron

With IDLES & The Barbarians Of California:
09/08 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
09/10 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
09/11 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
09/13 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
09/15 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
09/17 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center

With System Of A Down, Polyphia & Wisp:
09/03 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
09/05 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium

Deftones Festivals:
09/19 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees
09/20 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
10/03 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock
11/16 Mexico City, MEX – Corona Capital

With Denzel Curry & Drug Church (Europe/UK):
01/29 Paris, FRA – Adidas Arena
01/30 Brussels, BEL – Forest National
02/01 Hamburg, GER – Barclays Arena
02/03 Munich, GER – Zenith
02/05 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena
02/06 Berlin, GER – Max-Schmeling-Halle
02/07 Dortmund, GER – Westfalenhalle
02/09 Stuttgart, GER – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
02/10 Amsterdam, NET – AFAS Live
02/12 Birmingham, UK – BP Pulse Live
02/13 Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
02/14 Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live
02/16 Dublin, IRE – 3Arena
02/18 Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
02/20 London, UK – The O2

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