An Interview with Atlas Genius

Atlas Genius is an alternative rock band formed in Adelaide, Australia whose 2011 hit song  “Trojans” catapulted them up from down under into worldwide fame. They followed the single with their debut LP “When it Was Now,” a commercial and critical success. Their current tour in support of the album brought them to the House of Blues Boston on Tuesday, so The Crimson sat down with lead singer Keith Jeffery to ask a couple questions.

THC: With your newfound success, do you feel any pressure on your upcoming works?

KJ: The biggest pressures are internal pressures that we put on ourselves to keep growing as musicians and songwriters. There are external pressures as well. The harshest critic is yourself in this field of work. You always want to keep pushing yourself. It’s important not to be affected by external pressures. You have to compartmentalize internal pressures and not be influenced too much by what people say of want.

THC: Is there any particular track on your hit album, “When It Was Now,” that you’re particularly fond of?

KJ: I am really satisfied with “Centered on You.” The spontaneity of how it came together so quickly means that I have a particular fondness for that song. Quite often writing a song can be a real struggle and a journey to get it to where you want to be. That song came together really quickly.

THC: You guys are coming to Boston in a couple days. Some bands prefer big venues and others prefer small intimate settings—do you have an opinion?

KJ: I do like big shows. I think venues around 1, or 2,000 people people are a good size. It’s not gigantic, but the energy when you get a couple thousand people all in one space being connected by music [is good]. When you’re playing for 10 or 20,000 people it’s harder to engage, I think, because you’re a small guy on stage and there are so many people. However, the bigger the crowd, the less nervous we get. I’m the most nervous when I’m playing in front of two or five people.”

THC: Any pre-show rituals?

KJ: I spend five minutes or so alone so I can get in the right space for the show. Just before we hit the stage we get together as a band to get that energy and that camaraderie thing happening.

THC: How would you say your Australian roots have influenced your music?

KJ: Typically I think Australians are a bit more reserved than maybe Americans. I think that comes across in the music. I think understated is the word I’m looking for [in our production].

THC: Do you notice any big differences between the Australian music scene and the scene back here in the states?

KJ: I think because we’re such a small country and it’s been hard for bands for a long time to get out and make a mark elsewhere, Australian bands are used to having to work hard to prove themselves. The other side of that I think is Australian bands tend to get more pessimistic because of that.

THC: Were you at all surprised about your success here in the States?

KJ: Yes, because we were at the point of thinking that it was very unlikely to stand out and be noticed in the music industry. Especially now, when every second person has some kind of recording system on their laptop and there is a huge cloud of music out there. The fact that “Trojans” was noticed was definitely a big surprise.

THC: Outside of music do you have any other hidden talents?

KJ: I like to think I make a decent Indian curry. It may be one of my hidden talents. Perhaps I could be an Indian chef someday.