The new single from NYC-based artist Janita, originally from Finland, “Real Deal” unveils a delectably moody rock sound with nocturnal synth flourishes. Releasing ahead of her tenth studio album Mad Equation, out in May 2025, “Real Deal” drives into an invigorating central hook — “you and me, we could rule the world,” — following atmospheric introspections. A stirring “we are the real deal,” proclamation continues thereafter, continuing an empowering sense into the suave initial verses, where driving guitars and lush synths cohesively intertwine.
“Real Deal” envelops in its seamless range of quainter ruminations into the distortion-friendly, textured expanse — captivating especially in the “would go down in a hail storm,” bridge, where angular guitars and stutter-y effects gear grippingly into a final title-bearing catharsis. Inspired also by Janita’s two favorite films — The 400 Blows and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid — “Real Deal” has us firmly anticipating Janita’s upcoming Mad Equation, which she elaborates more on, below:
“The title Mad Equation is about trying to do the math to figure someone out. Trying to size someone up. There’s actually a mathematical formula called ‘the mad equation’ which physicists use to measure the unpredictability of something. I think it’s fair to say that over the course of my career, people have been trying to figure me out too. Am I the long-haired blonde soul singer? Am I the Finnish teenage star? Am I the American alternative rock ’n’ roller? Gosh, I’m just such a problem. So, maybe I’m a mad equation for some. Well, with this new record, problem solved.”
Regarding the track taking inspiration from the films The 400 Blows and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Janita says:
“I identify with the rebellious nature of the characters in both those movies—living life off the grid, doing something that doesn’t make a lot of ‘traditional’ sense to most. Being an artist in this world is a mad pursuit, yet it’s the work I’ve schooled myself in, and done, all my life. So I find myself living, symbolically, in a permanent shootout like Butch and Sundance and I’m alright with it. More than just ‘alright’ with it—it’s the life I’ve chosen.”
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
