A few weeks ago alt-pop band Atlas Genius released their first new song in over three years, as well as their first track since signing with Better Noise Music. The song, “Elegant Strangers” is buoyed by shimmering synths and a driving electronic beat. Today we’re premiering a live performance video for “Elegant Strangers,” which finds singer and guitarist Keith Jeffery dramatically reimagining the song as he plays alone on a dock in Australia’s Horseshoe Bay.
“Elegant Strangers” is an initial taste of the band’s first new album since 2015’s Inanimate Objects, which will be out later this year. Whereas the original version of the song is bombastic and danceable, Jeffery’s performance is built around simple, clean electric guitar riffs and his powerful vocals.
“One silver-lining of the previous year was rediscovering my love for Australia,” said Jeffery. “You often have to leave a place to realize how important it was to you. There’s a certain irony in performing ‘Elegant Strangers,’ a song about fair-weather friends in LA, to an audience of none in Australia as the sun rose over Horseshoe Bay. I hope you enjoy it.”
Jeffery wrote “Elegant Strangers” along with producer Ben H. Allen, known for his work with Washed Out and Animal Collective, as well as singer-songwriter Sam Endicott, formerly of The Bravery.
“This is a song about finding the escape door,” said the band about “Elegant Strangers.” “A person finally seeing the beauty and optimism they’ve always wanted in life, and never wanting this moment to end.”
After moving away from California and back to Australia, the band sports a lineup that includes Keith’s brothers, Michael Jeffery (drums) and Steven Jeffery (synth/keyboards), plus a longtime friend of the Jeffery brothers, guitarist Dave Green. They worked on the song in a studio built by their father and “Elegant Strangers” is just the first sampling of what’s to come from Atlas Genius. They’ll be playing at Firefly Festival and Bottlerock Festivals in 2021.
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