LOS ANGELES, CA- Back in September, I wrote about St. Panther’s Strange World a project that felt like a bold reawakening for an artist who has never fit neatly into any single genre. With “The Deal,” the latest single and accompanying live-performance video, Dani Bojorges-Giraldo (aka St. Panther) goes inward again, this time peeling back the layers of groove to find something soft, deliberate, and soulful beneath the surface.
The song’s melody is one of those rare ones that immediately invites you to vibe. It isn’t trying to impress you with vocal acrobatics or a flashy hook; instead, it lures you in with restraint. The groove is loose, the tempo unhurried, and everything… every bass pluck, every brushed-drum hit, every chord… breathes. There’s a retro warmth to the mix that feels like an unearthed session tape from the What’s Going On era, but filtered through St. Panther’s jazz-trained instincts and modern production touch. The Fender-esque guitar tone alone sounds like something you’d hear spinning out of a late-70s R&B 45. It’s clean yet melancholic, with each phrase leaving just enough space for reflection.
Watching the live performance video, filmed with longtime collaborator and co-producer McClenney (H.E.R., Khalid, Jamila Woods), you can tell this music wasn’t made for performance pyrotechnics. It’s a living, breathing conversation between musicians. The camera lingers… not to dramatize, but to listen. McClenney’s subtle chord extensions on the Rhodes and the way St. Panther leans into her phrasing, stretching the line “You just don’t know the deal” like a sigh, create that kind of magic that only happens when the room’s energy syncs perfectly.
I’m not the most educated on music theory, but around the 4:20 mark there’s what sure sounds like a subtle key change that catches you mid-groove. It’s the kind of moment that makes you pause, grin, and wonder if it really just happened or if your body simply felt it before your mind caught up. Either way, it deepens the vibe. The band keeps flowing, unbothered, as if this shift were a natural emotional response rather than a compositional trick.
Lyrically, “The Deal” is all about introspection: grieving loss, longing for connection, and learning to let go without bitterness. The repeated refrain “You just don’t know the half, baby” feels both wounded and forgiving, as if spoken through a smile that’s finally accepted change. There’s tension between love and detachment that sits at the core of the song.
The more I sit with St. Panther’s catalog, the more I admire how their music captures the complexities of modern soul without overcomplicating it. It’s not nostalgia, though it sounds vintage. It’s not minimalism, though it feels sparse. It’s clarity. Clarity of tone, of groove, of intent. “The Deal” might be one of the quietest songs of the year, but it’s also one that’s strong with emotional resonance.
If this single is any indication of what’s to come from Strange World (out November 7 via drink sum wtr), then we’re about to receive, in my humble option, something truly special.
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