Atlas Genius began in 2009 when the brothers Jeffery and their engineer/musician father built a studio in the family garage, funding the project by playing Police/Beatles/Stones covers in local pubs. “Trojans” was the first song the group wrote and recorded; within an hour of posting it online, the song showed up on sites like Triple J Unearthed and SoundCloud and became a sensation.
In 2011, Atlas Genius was swamped with gigs, recording and fall exams, so the members neglected their email for a few weeks. When they checked it, they found dozens of messages from industry reps proffering label deals, management, bookings and legal advice. By early 2012, “Trojans” had hit the top of Sirius XM channel Alt Nation’s charts and the song started selling 1,000 downloads a week on iTunes, all before the band had inked a label deal or done any proper publicity.
With its martial Indie Pop rhythms — sort of Modest Mouse-meets-Death-Cab down under — Atlas Genius has garnered a good critical and commercial response with When It Was Now, its new single “If So” ” is breaking big, the band’s songs are getting a lot of remix attention and the group members will be recording their sophomore album after this tour.
7 p.m. with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Family of the Year. $20. bogarts.com.
