Jontan reaches for the untouchable on “The Only Man You Need”
Photo Credit: Ian Resnick
Tapping into a classic 70s soul sound, Jontan’s new single is a boy-meets-girl-but-girl-has-someone-else story. This is the second single off the Chicago multi-instrumentalist’s upcoming album The Yellow House. Silk textures and an infectious groove—provided by Chicago’s Walker on guitar and Afro-Cuban artist Jean-Christophe Leroy on congas—make up the musical backbone as Jontan pleads, “Save some space / Save some for me.”
The style–samba-soul–is a result of Jontan’s travels through Brazil. Finding parallels between American and Latin pop, Jontan (Jonathan Gardner) took those ideas back to his Chicago studio. "'The Only Man You Need' came together in March 2023, right in the middle of writing the album,” he says. “I wrote and produced it quickly, but ended up re-recording vocals over a couple of years until it finally felt right in April 2025. It’s a song about longing for someone you can’t fully have. It highlights the oft-unspoken desire to be someone’s one and only. The production balances smoothness and grit, with conga and string textures, which nod to the lush, full sounds of 70’s soul records."
Listen to the song below.
The Yellow House is out February 6, 2026. Follow Jontan for more info.
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