This post was written by Hatchet reporter Jeanine Marie.

The latest tour that brought Atlas Genius to Silver Spring this weekend is certainly a step up for a band that last drove around the U.S. in a van.

Now, after finding internet and Billboard acclaim for some of its latest songs, the alternative rock band has at least the trappings of a major tour – a tour bus, for one.

Lead vocalist Keith Jeffery told The Hatchet that they “get less of sense of the traveling” as they wake up in a different city almost everyday, but it also gives him time to write new songs in the back of the bus.

But for now, it seems like fans just want to hear the songs that have driven Atlas Genius to sudden popularity. On Sunday night at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, the band
saved its best for last with “Trojans,” the song that kickstarted the Australian trio’s career. But instead of  kicking off the evening with the hit, the band opened with new music from its first full-length album “When It Was Now,” leaving the crowd oddly unsatisfied.

That’s not to say the group doesn’t have its appeal.

The show was opened by electro-funk duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., and L.A. natives Family of the Year, best known for the song “Hero.” Family of the Year’s keyboardist Christina Schroeter said the band could not help being charmed by Atlas Genius.

However, the atmosphere at the Fillmore was tepid. Rainbow-colored lighting and a limited discography did not help the liven up a fairly predictable show. Atlas Genius did induce some head-banging during an experimental, Mario Kart-esque build into “All These Girls.” But even the crowd was oddly lackluster. Dressed almost exclusively in dark jeans and flannels, couples in their early thirties downed $5 shots and danced to the occasional songs they recognized.

The band proved its potential with “Trojans,” and hopefully the back of the bus inspires the same kind of genius.