Leo XIV Reimagines Deftones’ “Change (In the House of Flies)” as a Haunting, Cinematic Slow Burn
Covering a song as distinctive as Deftones’ “Change (In the House of Flies)” means walking a fine line between honoring its dark allure and finding a reason to revisit it. Leo XIV takes the latter route, trading much of the original’s guitar-driven heaviness for a more spacious, atmospheric interpretation that retains the song’s unsettling spirit while revealing a different kind of vulnerability.
Where Deftones built their 2000 classic around brooding guitars, simmering tension, and Chino Moreno’s unmistakable vocal presence, Leo XIV approaches the material with a lighter touch. The darkness remains, but the weight shifts. Haunting keyboard passages and a hypnotic synth bass establish the track’s foundation, creating a soundscape that feels suspended somewhere between a late-night confession and a scene from a psychological thriller. There is room for every element to breathe, and that restraint becomes one of the recording’s greatest strengths.
The production is particularly effective. Nothing feels crowded or unnecessarily embellished, allowing the song’s emotional intensity to emerge without relying on sheer volume. The guitar work, clean and shimmering with reverb and echo, adds a subtle counterpoint to the electronic textures. There is even a hint of the spacious, understated guitar sensibility associated with Andy Summers and The Police, lending the arrangement an unexpected melodic clarity. Rather than competing for attention, each instrument contributes another layer to the song’s mysterious atmosphere.
What makes this interpretation compelling is that Leo XIV never mistakes minimalism for a lack of passion. The original’s sense of transformation, obsession, and emotional unease remains intact, even as the arrangement moves away from the heavier alternative-metal framework that made the Deftones version so enduring. The familiar refrain takes on a more hypnotic quality in this setting, with the repeated lines feeling less like a release of tension than an invitation to sink further into it. The result is intimate without becoming soft, and cinematic without losing sight of the song’s darker impulses.
For an artist who describes his music as “trip-pop,” Leo XIV’s approach makes sense. His stated interest in hypnotic grooves, provocative soundscapes, and the space between light and darkness finds a natural fit in this material. The cover also demonstrates an understanding of atmosphere as an essential part of songwriting. Instead of simply stripping away distortion, he builds a different emotional environment around the composition, preserving its unsettling character while giving the listener a fresh perspective.
There is an inherent challenge in covering a song so closely associated with its original arrangement, especially one that has become a defining entry in Deftones’ catalog. Leo XIV meets that challenge by resisting the temptation to imitate. His version feels less like a replacement than an alternate perspective, one that emphasizes the song’s eerie beauty and simmering tension over its heavier sonic edges.
“Change (In the House of Flies)” is an intriguing introduction to Leo XIV’s artistic sensibility. The production is polished, the arrangement is carefully considered, and the atmosphere lingers long after the final notes fade. More importantly, it raises a worthwhile question: What might this same combination of melodic minimalism, hypnotic bass, and shadowy electronics sound like when applied to material entirely his own?
That curiosity is perhaps the cover’s most significant accomplishment. Leo XIV has found a way to make a familiar song feel newly mysterious, offering a thoughtful reinterpretation that respects its source while establishing a mood of its own. Now, hearing what he can do with an original composition feels like the natural next step.
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