7 March 2013
By Shelby Clemons, Staff Writer
Though they have been around since 2011, Australian indie rock band Atlas Genius is just now stepping into the spotlight with their first studio album When It Was Now. The band released an EP in August featuring the instant hits “Trojans” and “Symptoms,” which have circulated on the Sirius XM station Alt Nation (of which I am an avid listener) since 2011 and began earning the band a little recognition.
Normally, I do not condone synthetic pop, and perhaps it’s just my love for “Trojans” speaking, but this debut album has rightfully thrust Atlas Genius into the forefront of the music scene. DJs on Alt Nation are constantly boasting that they discovered the band and have said things along the lines of how extraordinary the band is considering it’s never even produced an album before gaining such popularity on the station. In fact, “Trojans” was first posted on the band’s website, without any agents to help them get the word out. Though much of the album seems to blend together into an electronic jumble like synth-pop tends to do, Atlas Genius is most definitely a band to watch for.
If this music doesn’t seem like your thing, the least you should do is listen to “Trojans” and “Symptoms” (I cannot stress this enough). Both songs just make you want to dance with their pop-y beats matched by the mellow guitar and smooth voice of the lead singer Keith Jeffery. The album’s single “If So” fails to be an instant hit like the other two songs, and while this is really where the album falters, none of the songs are terrible on the ears. “Electric” is another song worth listening to, and one of the many examples of how the band is good at what they’re doing with this album: synthetic, dance-y tunes that won’t annoy everyone.
Even though Atlas Genius is another indie-rock band with an album of 11 synth-pop songs, the hype from their early hits is telling of just what this band will do in the future. I think they are going to make their mark on the indie scene in the coming years, and When It Was Now is just the beginning of a successful career for these Aussies.
Courtesy of assets.rollingstone.com