jonka

Brooklyn-based electro-pop hipsters, Jonka just debuted the official music video for their new single “Every Other Day” and it has us ridiculously excited for the group’s new album Pinks and Blues the much anticipated follow up to 2009's Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

A lo-fi beat slowly evolves into a wonky almost acid keyboard line, then come the TV on the Radio-esque “ooohhhss” and lyricism, the infectious chorus, additional (room-filling) bass and synth washes that are big enough to envelope a room.

Match said characteristics with kaleidoscope colors and patterns spectacular video editing and a few more rounds of that beautiful, beautiful chorus and voila: Jonka’s got a hit on their hands.

Listen. View. Get Lost in the sound. - The Get Downn

Brooklyn-based electro-pop hipsters, Jonka just debuted the official music video for their new single “Every Other Day” and it has us ridiculously excited for the group’s new album Pinks and Blues the much anticipated follow up to 2009's Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

A lo-fi beat slowly evolves into a wonky almost acid keyboard line, then come the TV on the Radio-esque “ooohhhss” and lyricism, the infectious chorus, additional (room-filling) bass and synth washes that are big enough to envelope a room.

Match said characteristics with kaleidoscope colors and patterns spectacular video editing and a few more rounds of that beautiful, beautiful chorus and voila: Jonka’s got a hit on their hands.

Listen. View. Get Lost in the sound. - The Get Downn

A textbook exercise in how to construct a groove, “Every Other Day” burns with the booty-shaking resolve of an old Hot Chocolate song, channeled through the ’80s electro-pop style book, Erasure edition. Listen to how the layers coalesce—first the basic beat, itself an alluring blend of distant-seeming sounds; then the bass, all fat and old-school; then the first foreground element, a slappy, tappy percussive sound playing a jittery series of double-time flourishes. At this point, it’s cool but not necessarily awesome. Awesome arrives with the next two elements: the organ-y synthesizer (0:24) that skitters away seemingly between the beats; and, the pièce de résistance, the high, swooping “oo-oos” (0:32) that deliver the song’s first melody, wordless though it may be.

Beyond the sure groove, what sells “Every Other Day” is Jonka’s commitment to vocal harmonies. Just as the twosome blend their names—Jon Neufeld and Annika Kaye—to create the band’s name, so do they blend their voices in a plush, ongoing layering of harmony not often heard in this musical setting. From the opening lyric, the band mates (a married couple, you should know) sing every word together, and are over-dubbed so that there are at least two of each of them singing at all times. Neufeld’s soulful baritone takes the lead but Kaye’s full-bodied backing vocals are just as important a part of the song’s texture. The song’s melodies, meanwhile, percolate relentlessly upward, giving the song an almost gospel-like sense of uplift.

Neufeld and Kaye live in Brooklyn. Neufeld grew up on Staten Island and Kaye, born in Sweden, was raised in Manhattan. “Every Other Day” is the first song available from the duo’s second album, Pinks and Blues, which is arriving at some unspecified date in the reasonably near future. - Fingertips Music

A textbook exercise in how to construct a groove, “Every Other Day” burns with the booty-shaking resolve of an old Hot Chocolate song, channeled through the ’80s electro-pop style book, Erasure edition. Listen to how the layers coalesce—first the basic beat, itself an alluring blend of distant-seeming sounds; then the bass, all fat and old-school; then the first foreground element, a slappy, tappy percussive sound playing a jittery series of double-time flourishes. At this point, it’s cool but not necessarily awesome. Awesome arrives with the next two elements: the organ-y synthesizer (0:24) that skitters away seemingly between the beats; and, the pièce de résistance, the high, swooping “oo-oos” (0:32) that deliver the song’s first melody, wordless though it may be.

Beyond the sure groove, what sells “Every Other Day” is Jonka’s commitment to vocal harmonies. Just as the twosome blend their names—Jon Neufeld and Annika Kaye—to create the band’s name, so do they blend their voices in a plush, ongoing layering of harmony not often heard in this musical setting. From the opening lyric, the band mates (a married couple, you should know) sing every word together, and are over-dubbed so that there are at least two of each of them singing at all times. Neufeld’s soulful baritone takes the lead but Kaye’s full-bodied backing vocals are just as important a part of the song’s texture. The song’s melodies, meanwhile, percolate relentlessly upward, giving the song an almost gospel-like sense of uplift.

Neufeld and Kaye live in Brooklyn. Neufeld grew up on Staten Island and Kaye, born in Sweden, was raised in Manhattan. “Every Other Day” is the first song available from the duo’s second album, Pinks and Blues, which is arriving at some unspecified date in the reasonably near future. - Fingertips Music

For fans of Depeche Mode and The Eurythmics, check out this awesome local band -- jonka.! - Spinner.com

For fans of Depeche Mode and The Eurythmics, check out this awesome local band -- jonka.! - Spinner.com

Electro-pop power team Jonka’s album "Slow and Steady Wins The Race" (the follow-up album, Pinks and Blues, has yet to be released) is overflowing with fresh synth beats and brilliant vocal harmonies. Jonka’s music mixes together 80s pop and hip-hop, coming up with a nostalgic yet strikingly modern content. The lyrics are stirringly heartfelt; consider these lyrics from the song "Guided By Light," "Get a little bit older, now you think for yourself/Instead of waiting your turn, it’s time to get off the shelf/ Get a little bit wiser, you’ve been kicking around/Instead of kicking your can, you’ve got your feet on the ground." Jonka’s music will make you think, it will make you want to dance, and it somehow makes you want to live a better life, all at the same time. - The Deli Magazine

"JONKA is a refreshing blend of 80's pop romanticism, great vocals and right-now beats."

GE Smith (former SNL band leader and guitarist for Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates.) - GE Smith (former SNL band leader and guitarist for Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates.)

"JONKA is a refreshing blend of 80's pop romanticism, great vocals and right-now beats."

GE Smith (former SNL band leader and guitarist for Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates.) - GE Smith (former SNL band leader and guitarist for Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates.)