Atlas Genius (AU)

About

Atlas Genius built their name around a deceptively breezy sound that hides a fair amount of emotional weight underneath. The Adelaide trio, anchored by brothers Keith and Michael Jeffery alongside keyboardist Darren Sell, broke through with the irresistibly catchy "Trojans", a track that spent time on high rotation on SiriusXM's Alt Nation before climbing to No. 4 on the US Alternative Songs Chart. Their debut album When It Was Now landed in early 2013, peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200, and drew praise for songwriting that felt direct and intimate compared to a lot of their contemporaries. Their influences read like a pretty interesting playlist: The Beatles, Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, The Police, and Phoenix all get name checked by the band. That mix shows up in the music too, spacious arrangements with room to breathe sitting alongside tracks with real rhythmic punch. A second album, Inanimate Objects, followed in 2015, and the band has kept evolving its lineup while continuing to record.