ABOUT
“Jonathan are a band of five close friends from Rijeka in Croatia (singing in English)
who do a very fine line in guitar rock and pop that is pitched somewhere between Editors
and Interpol with their nicely strident basslines and Sermon on the Mount type lyrical
delivery. But they also share some of the poppy DNA of Franz Ferdinand and The
Strokes, which really ups their likeability factor.” – The Crack Magazine
“I Never Meant To Be There’, is a strongly delivered alt-rock track with pop and RnB
sensibilities. It’s somewhat cross-genre, reminding us all at once of Roxy Music, Barry
White, and David Bowie” – Essentially Pop
"Dark neoromantics" - DOP magazine
“Led by the gripping, David Bowie-esque vocals of frontman Zoran Badurina, Jonathan
conveys their cautious optimism through a veil of angst created by hypnotic riffs, edgy
guitar explosions, and occasional offbeat punkiness – the latter a natural outgrowth of
each of the members’ backgrounds in alternative and punk rock.” – JW Vibe
“Jonathan combine old fashioned, angelic post-punk with cutting edge pop/rock of a
modern persuasion on To Hold, and the results they yield are top shelf to put it mildly.” – Vents Magazine
Jonathan is a band of five close friends from Rijeka, Croatia whose paths crossed in 2011. With instant chemistry and ease of making a whole new sound together, these five experienced musicians have ever since been on a mission to tear down geographic and linguistic borders.
The band's name reflects this idea of unity, Jonathan being a metaphorical single person with a blend of character traits and whimsies from each. Not keen to confine to a single genre, they are quick to point out their past in alternative and punk rock scene, preferring to define themselves against other indie bands of today with a raw sound, primal energy and sarcastic lyrics delivered with genuine feeling. Their music is maybe best described as dark-lens optimism. There is an honest undertone of pain and angst in almost all of the tracks, which allows for a punky vibe, and a surge of energy and hope which leaves you blindsided.
Jonathan officially appeared on Croatian scene in November 2013 with a single “Maggie” which was an instant hit. Accolades from music professionals and audience were only confirmed upon release of their debut album “Bliss” in May the following year, listed as one of the top albums back home and the whole region.
The beginning of their career was marked with a full concert calendar taking them to the clubs and festivals region-wide, with sold out concerts in hometown Rijeka, as well as Zagreb where the band opened for the iconic Editors. Jonathan soon became one of the bands emerging on the regional music scene, being high in quality and most noticeable.
Following the success of the debut album, the year 2015 sees Jonathan publishing an EP “Getting closer is keeping us apart” and nomination for the best new act at Porin, Croatian discography awards soon followed. On top of that, indie giants Editors themselves invited Jonathan to be their opening act on a part of their European tour.
Without any notice of stopping, the band continues to create new music and formats with a conceptual double album “To Love or To Hold”, published in two parts and both gaining immediate success amongst the public, as well as the critics in 2017 and 2018 marking them one of the year’s best editions.
Often being compared to the big sharks of indie rock world, such as Franz Ferdinand, Editors, Interpol, Placebo or The Strokes, Jonathan built their own reputation as a full rock concert machine. Sold out concerts in best and biggest clubs in the whole Croatia, such as the legendary rock club Palach, or Zagreb’s best club Tvornica kulture, performances on the most important festivals in the whole region such as Exit Festival, INmusic, Flow Festival Ljubljana, showcases Eurosonic in Groningen, Waves Vienna and Bratislava, a mini European tour with Editors as their supporting, or opening for indie rock giants The Killers on Exit Festival, really show that Jonathan fits into this stellar constellation.
In March 2019. the bend went on their first one month USA tour, consisting of 15 concerts wich included shows on SXSW festival in Austin, TX and Colossus festival in NYC.