We’ve seen and heard it happen before: a group of experienced New York musicians who put together a new band that, right out of the gate, sounds like a pretty much fully-formed entity offering entirely fresh sounds through a new combination of familiar and extremely skilled musicians that we’ve enjoyed in projects past. That’s pretty much what we said about The Secret Life Of Sofia back when they first got going. It’s what we thought of Aldenbarton when they got going with a full line-up recently. And now it’s what we’re saying about Lariats — not that the three bands necessarily sound alike.

So far, Lariats have only played two shows and we happened to be at both. What impressed us both times was that it seemed like these four — Kristie, Marta, Nick, and Pete — had been playing together for years. Every note and beat found its pocket perfectly. But what’s really nice about seeing a band like this — new, yet experienced — is that it’s rare to hear a band both play their music with skill and confidence and not seem slightly tired of playing their material. It’s inevitable with most bands that by the time they’re actually really good at playing their first set of songs, they’re already tired of them. With Lariats, the usual divide between skill and freshness is simply non-existent. And that’s why you should check them out as soon as you can.

In fact, you can check them out tonight at The Creek And The Cave. Yes, you non-residents of Queens, it’s in Long Island City… but c’mon, you have a damn Metrocard, so don’t be a wuss.