Atlas Genius
In 2011, Atlas Genius saw immediate success with the breakthrough of their debut hit single “Trojans.”
Over the last ten years, the Australian-bred band of brothers has proven that their knack for creating catchy-yet-meaningful alt-pop was no fluke. They have amassed nearly 300 million streams to date, played on sold-out arena tour line-ups (with the likes of Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Silversun Pickups, Panic! At the Disco, and others), and have been invited to perform on national shows such as The Tonight Show, The Late Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live. But most notably, they’ve created a signature breezy-yet-complex sound that uniquely blends genres and engages an ever-growing and always committed fanbase. Now, the group - consisting of three brothers: singer-guitarist Keith Jeffery , drummer Michael Jeffery , synth/keys player Steven Jeffery ; and longtime friend guitarist Dave Green - is back with a new project that shows how artists can reach their highest heights just by going home.
After the release of their critically acclaimed 2015 studio album Inanimate Objects, the band tried to follow it up with what was expected. “A lot of life happened over even the past five years in California,” says Keith, who produces all Atlas Genius songs. “There’s always somewhere to go, always some distraction there. When we started a band, we had no idea what we were doing. That was part of our strength. But then in L.A., you become far too aware of how everything is done. You see behind the curtain of the industry.” So Atlas Genius relocated to Australia to mute everything around them, except the music percolating inside their heads.
The result was their newest single, ‘Elegant Strangers.’ The music for ‘Elegant Strangers’ started as a collaboration between singer Keith Jeffery, acclaimed producer Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Washed Out, Bombay Bicycle Club) and The Bravery’s singer/songwriter Sam Endicott (The Bravery, Shakira). After many attempts in Los Angeles, the band flew to Australia in early 2020 to record in their studio. Built by hand by the three Jeffery brothers and their father, the studio gave birth to Atlas Genius and their 2012 debut album 'When It Was Now' and the gold single ‘Trojans.’ From the whirlwind that ensued, their home studio lay dormant for almost eight years. Atlas Genius went back to their roots to capture the energy of the remote area where they grew up in South Australia. In January 2020 the entire band (including guitarist Dave Green) flew to Australia to begin work on their new album. The first offering from their self-produced forthcoming album being the aforementioned ‘Elegant Strangers.’
Of the ‘Trojans’ Consequence of Sound wrote, “the ass-shaking, layered stadium sound shows why the track launched them to notoriety overnight.”
And AllMusic said, “It's easy to hear why this song (‘Trojans’) became a hit: it's glossy but earnest, pairing a familiar-sounding melody with subtly changing guitars and keyboards.”
