Keith Jeffrey of Atlas Genius Discusses New Record ‘Inanimate Objects’

Stephanie Hernandez

Australian band of brothers, Keith and Michael Jeffery of Atlas Genius, have been riding the wave of success caused by their 2013 breakout record “When it Was Now” for the past few years now. The following two years would include an almost non-stop touring schedule and the daunting task of writing and producing their highly anticipated sophomore album. The world could only survive of the catchy hook of “Trojans” for so long, you know? Now, just a few days out from the official release of “Inanimate Objects” lead singer and all around laidback Aussie, Keith Jeffery sat down with Entertainment Voice to talk the origins of Atlas Genius, the inspiration behind the new album and just why “Molecules” are so important.

The recording of “Inanimate Objects” was a bi-coastal effort, partly taken up in the Jeffrey brother’s home of Adelaide Australia and then finished in Studio City, California. The second time around Atlas Genius had a better idea of where they wanted to go with the new record and surrounded themselves with a team that would help bring their vision to life. “There were a lot of firsts we experienced when we released our debut, so we didn’t know how to deal with a lot of those situations and decisions we had to make back then. We were kind of just rolling with them as they were coming at us, whereas now, we have a better sort of overview of how the industry works and what we want to achieve, and how we fit into that.”

Mixed by the famed hands of Manny Marroquin (Imagine Dragons, Ludacris) and Andrew Maury (Death Cab for Cutie, Strange Names), the result is a more focused yet nuanced synth-rock sound that speaks to the confidence and consistency of the Jeffreys as musicians. The band’s second album under the Warner Bros. Label, was led by “Molecules,” that possibly may be the most existential pop single we’ve ever heard. “I have these moments where I think about how I can get really lost in a situation and how It can be all encompassing and it can feel like the end of the world, and yet if you zoom back a little bit – you go back far enough and look at the planet from a distance, I am really not that different than an ant running around on the ground. Getting lost in that idea, that we are really made up of the same stuff, we all come from the same matter, so in that respect we’re all pretty much the same. It’s a song about empathy, we’re all going through the same thing, we’re all just existing, so let’s be kind to each other.” It is this kind of perspective an ideology that takes Atlas Genius from run of the mill pop band, to introspective groove makers.

According to Jeffrey, “This album, for me is really best digested as a whole” is no joke.  The eleven song track listing is best taken in all at once, a catchy continuation of their debut, but in no way a cop-out, Atlas Genius has managed to avoid the dreaded Sophomore album curse by refreshing their sound and production techniques just enough to keep things new and interesting for themselves without completely alienating their still developing fan base. Tracks like, “A Perfect End” and “Friends With Enemies” show just how much the Jeffreys have matured, not just in their song writing but in their ability to create incredibly unique sounding compositions that keep you going back and pressing replay. “It really feels sometimes like you’re battling with a song and other times the song just flows out really naturally – it’s much less often (laughs) but normally it feels like it’s a battle, almost like a Rubik’s Cube.” It seems this duo has found their footing and from now on have a solid foundation to continue to build from.

Extremely passionate about what they do as a group, Keith Jeffrey is looking forward to bringing the new material to a live setting, “We are looking forward to playing shows where people have had time to listen to the album and we can have that back and forth action that only comes when everyone is familiar songs. When people can sing along, it is a beautiful moment for us. When you can stop singing and the crowd can carry on, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Inanimate Objects will be available on iTunes Aug. 28.