Jonte has shared Push My Buttons, a bonafide pop banger that serves as the Queensland singer’s first release since 2021.
Opening with catchy finger click percussion and synths so bouncy you’ll immediately be tapping your foot, the single is anchored by the swaggy effortlessness of Jonte’s vocals, which see him deliver rich melodies with the shrug of his shoulder.
Jonte’s delivery is punctuated by unique flairs, with his range often curling around certain syllables to create an ear-catching melody. Like much of today’s pop gems, Push My Buttons makes expert use of 80s-indebted synths, with the chorus drenched in the kind of spacey production you’d hear blaring from the speakers of a neon-coloured nightclub.
The infectiousness of the track, with its candied beats and self-affirming attitude, seems purpose built to fill dance floors, completed with an earworm of a hook that you’ll no-doubt be humming for days.
The single later leans into sparse production on the bridge, forefronting Jonte’s vocals and making room for his harmonic riffs and backing ad libs. The temptation for pop artists is to fall into familiar formulas, but Jonte subverts this trend by showcasing a depth in lyricism not always seen in traditional pop stardom .
Here, the singer laments those who lower their standards in a relationship, calling out the self-destructive type who relentlessly“come[s] back for more.” In between these musings, Jonte also manages to deliver braggadocious reads like “you come for me, you come for a pro,” giving his verses a distinct personality and providing insight into the musician himself.
“Don’t trip over your own head,” he declares, “you wonder why people leave you.” It’s the kind of confident artistry you’d expect from a popstar 10 years his senior, but Push My Buttons is especially impressive given Jonte’s relative greenness in the scene
The singer-songwriter made his debut with the 2020 track Kinky Boots, and has since released a smattering of singles as well as his first-ever EP, Experiences, in 2021. Elsewhere, Jonte has opened for Reece Mastin of X Factor fame, and performed alongside Christine Anu.
“I want the listener to feel a boost of self-pride and confidence in themselves,” Jonte said in a press statement. “I want the listener to [hear] this song and then go out and be a bad bitch.”
Become a bad bitch all to yourself with Jedi’s new single Push My Buttons below.
