Celebrating Twelve Years of Deftones’ “Koi No Yokan”

As one of the most influential bands of the alternative scene, Deftones needs no introduction. Hailing from Sacramento, California, the band has been active since the early 90s and have remained so to this day, kick-starting a North American tour earlier this week. Nine albums deep into their career, Deftones is known for their distinct sound and ability to express love, desperation, anger and poetic eroticism—sometimes all wrapped together—seamlessly into their work.

The 2012 Koi No Yokan album officially turned twelve in November of 2024, and it’s an album I haven’t been able to get off my mind in a long time. The body of work gets its title from the Japanese phrase describing the phenomenon of the “premonition of love.” In a segment conducted by the BBC to explore the phrase’s meaning, it’s described as meeting someone for the first time and knowing you will fall in love with them. Differing from the idea of love at first sight, koi no yokan is not love immediately felt, but the feeling and the knowledge that love will come and grow over time.

With a title like Koi No Yokan for an album, it sets the tone for what the demeanor will be and its subsequent themes. Each track of Koi No Yokan builds on this by emulating the sensation of standing on the precipice of something beautiful, looking over that edge before eventually taking the dive.

A common feature in any Deftones song is their provocative beginnings and a gradual slip into a surge of intensity, a quality ever present throughout Koi No Yokan. Credited on the album are long-time members such as Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham, along with Frank Delgado and Sergio Vega. The work is distinctly Deftones while also unfolding the ever-evolving style and experimentation of the band.

The release of Koi No Yokan follows the previous 2010 release of Diamond Eyes, showing a continuation of the previous otherworldly sound paired with a certain kind of fervency that is the undercurrent of energy that carries listeners through the experience. Tracks “Leathers,” “Tempest,” “Swerve City,” and “Romantic Dreams” were released as singles leading up to the album’s official release, each of them exemplifying the eclectic nature of Koi No Yokan. The album delivers the concept of its title as each second feels like both the premonition of love and the eventual fall, experimenting with styles such as hard metal, post-rock, dream pop and shoegaze, for example.

“Swerve City”

The first few seconds of an album’s first track are the most crucial, and when it comes to “Swerve City”—talk about an entrance. Deftones hits the mark with ease as the strength of this track is undeniable. With a start nothing short of assertive, foreboding and melodic, the lyrics set the tone for the fantastical language and storytelling used throughout the album. You find yourself carried away with each second that passes, “Swerve City” pulling you in via its thrills and with every note and every riff.

“Romantic Dreams”

Just as its title suggests, “Romantic Dreams” is full of promises and visions for the future. A song full of devotion and daydreams fit to melt any heart, it has a way of disarming you and encasing you in its sound. While the track is full of wishes for a domestic future of raising children, it also has a sense of existing in the moment and not wanting to be anywhere else. Playing with space and time is a common theme throughout the album, a fitting motif considering the sensation of koi no yokan is one that defies both as a premonition is not bound by either.

“Leathers”

Straying from the previous romantic and ethereal quality of the previous track, “Leathers” is much more aggressive in its delivery. With distorted vocals and lyrics calling for rebellion and raw honesty, “Leathers” stands apart from even the other more assertive tracks of Koi No Yokan. Its unapologetic nature is what makes it so persuasive, and its calls for transformation are comforting in the face of unknown change. There is anger in the lyrics, but also a sense of renewal and release that cannot be found through repression. The track is cathartic, offering itself as a vehicle to free yourself from what’s caging you. After all, maybe this is what’s necessary to fully step into and wholeheartedly experience koi no yokan.

“Poltergeist”

Continuing with the momentum created by the previous track, “Poltergeist” follows with a quick tempo and intense delivery. Musing on those who play games in love and the exhilaration of a cat and mouse game, “Poltergeist” is also a tale about the thin line between love and hate. The song is combative, but just like the relationship described in the lyrics, you find yourself drawn in regardless, your mind clouded by the melody and a game with no end in sight.

“Entombed”

As soon as “Entombed” rolls around, a shift is happening in the album as we start to slow down compared to songs like “Leathers” and “Poltergeist.” The term “entombed” denotes the vision of a tomb, sealed away where no one can enter or leave, a final resting place. In this song, however, to be “entombed” is to be by someone’s side from the moment you meet them. The title might sound like it could be terrifying, but the lyrics describe it as anything but.

Placed inside / Safe and sound / Shapes and colors are all I see.

Once again following the premonition, we feel the full depth of koi no yokan and how love sneaks up on you. A more romantic interpretation of the song is possible, but the overall ambiguity also leaves it open to the listener to assign whether they think the song is romantic or about a codependent relationship.

“Graphic Nature”

Starting strong with a discordant guitar riff, “Graphic Nature” puzzles you with its mystery as it unravels. Lyrics full of secrecy and yearning to learn the depths of an enigmatic lover, there also exists an understanding and acceptance even for the parts they try to hide. This includes even the darkest parts of who they are, and maybe even a fascination for them. Perhaps this speaks to the moment in a relationship where your idealizations start to wear off and you see someone for who they are, beyond koi no yokan, yet still choosing to be with them regardless. It’s up to you to define it: is that love or recklessness?

“Tempest”

As soon as “Tempest” graces your ears, despite its calm opening, you can feel that something is inching towards you ever so slowly. The build up is worth the wait, because once the instrumental kicks off, it knocks the breath right out of you. Befitting the title, “Tempest” feels like being caught in the midst of a storm, turning you every which way without a sense of direction. Paired with the mythic lyrics that sound like something from a fantasy world, “Tempest” is able to transport you from where you are to a tale of love and new beginnings.

“Gauze”

Deftones takes the offensive with these opening lyrics, declaring, “It’s a mistake / But go ahead and take a side.” A lovers’ quarrel taking center stage through metaphor and intrigue, “Gauze” holds nothing back and fears no confrontation. Just like the gauze used to dress wounds, this track hits you where it hurts and without consolation. Listening to this track you can’t help but to marvel at the mastery behind Deftones’ craft that makes them so renowned at what they do. Namely, their ability to construct melodies that pair so perfectly they entrance you.

“Rosemary”

The most unforgettable song of Koi No Yokan, “Rosemary” enters the landscape embodying everything you expect from a Deftones song. Explosive and romantic, “Rosemary” packs a punch every time its chorus hits, but not before soothing you with the serene post-chorus that follows. The track’s slow start is a highly effective one, because as soon as the chorus reveals itself, the truth unfolds without restraint. In a song that talks about crossing space and time and the realm of dreams, “Rosemary” fulfills the romantic nature of a namesake like Koi No Yokan beautifully. Ending with intense guitar riffs, the song closes with high intensity that slowly fades into a soft lullaby.

“Goon Squad”

When two sequential tracks of an album fade into each other, it’s always a sure sign you’re being set up for a great experience. The tranquil musings of “Rosemary” slowly fade into the transition for “Goon Squad“—a song at first unassuming in its entrance before a buzzing fills your ears that builds up to a full-force eruption. With rough vocal fry familiar to much of Deftones’ previous work, Moreno is great at navigating different vocal techniques to express the clashing emotions of “Goon Squad.” In a song where Deftones gets to talk about their influence unabashedly, it makes sense given their lengthy career and just how big of an impact they’ve left on the alternative scene.

“What Happened to You?”

Following a percussive instrumental as the opener, the vocals of “What Happened to You?” are smooth on the ears. In fact, the entirety of the track rolls smoothly and just glides through your system. The vocal melodies are the main focus as the instrumental portion of the verses are mainly drum patterns and percussion, steering the audience to keep their ears on the pulse of the song.

Compared to the fiery start Koi No Yokan delivered with “Swerve City,” “What Happened to You?” is an apt closer to bring the album’s overall trajectory and energy to a conclusion. With lyrics like, “Forty years in the winds / I’ve played with you / For the rest of our days, I’ll remain,” it feels like the final destination after being confronted by koi no yokan. No longer the premonition, no longer the fall into love, but the aftermath and existing in the place beyond space and time.

Koi No Yokan is beautiful at every turn, with dream-like tunes that enthrall and romance listeners. For an album named after such a concept, it truly lives up to its name and captures the magic of such a feeling. Rather than letting yourself be pulled down by the need to be realistic, Koi No Yokan invites you to dream and feel yourself in the moment.

It’s not about reason, but the emotions that are bubbling at the surface that demand your attention. Each song follows every emotion and scenario that could follow after taking a leap of faith into love—the good and the bad, which is what makes it so universal. You can listen and think of your most beautiful moments, or any heartache that has ever reached you.

What makes Koi No Yokan extra special is that as a piece of work, it exists in the place it reminisces about: beyond space and time.