Jontan Photo credit: Jared Gentile
Jonathan Gardner debuted his Brazilian-inspired project Jontan two years ago with his album, The Orange Book. Since then, he’s honed his chops as a DIY recording artist and producer, taking inspiration this time from slick ’70s records like Steely Dan’s Aja. Today, The Big Takeover is pleased to premiere the soulful song “Amélie,” adding more color to his repertoire by announcing his second album, The Yellow House.
The Chicago-based artist first developed an ear for musical styles such as samba, bossa nova, and tropicália after being awarded a grant to live in Brazil for a few months, which began his love for the country’s culture, music, and the Portuguese language. Now blending indie-pop, soul, and Brazilian music, he dubs his music “samba-soul.” The new single “Amélie” calls back to classic pop like The Beatles’ “Michelle,” too, by giving a non-specific person a specific name, while descending guitar melodies and gentle vocals set the tone for this titular character.
Gardner said,
“‘Amélie’ expresses unconditional love for someone close to me. I put a magnifying glass to my devotion, zooming in so far I couldn’t see all that could come between us. I was much more comfortable writing bittersweet love songs, and I challenged myself to break that habit and write a truly positive song. Several songwriters I’ve admired have stated that they write only positive songs and the idea alone was enough to inspire me. So I wrote a love song characterized by such conviction as I had never expressed. This exercise allowed me to bask in my own feelings of affection, and writing ‘Amélie’ allowed me to visualize my ideal relationship. Not only expressing present feelings, it also voiced the devotion that I aspired to feel for a lover.”
“Amélie” began as an exercise in songwriting, not to mention a reflection upon Gardner’s love life, but the result is a smooth soul-pop song halfway between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. While Gardner borrows from the classics, he enlisted John Trainum (Kate Bollinger) for mixing and Danny Kalb (Beck, Steve Lacy) for mastering, who both give Jontan’s new music a modern polish.
Jontan will be releasing his upcoming album The Yellow House on February 6, 2026.
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