Sometimes I'll say that music - as it exists and moves forward in society - is cyclical in nature. I try to catch myself when that happens, because, of course, music is not cyclical. In my mind, it looks more like a loop-the-loop. It moves in a straight line but, every so often, it will rise up and circle back on itself before continuing forward.

That's why bands like The Variety Hour can feel simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. Their eponymous debut EP sounds firmly rooted in Generation X, and, if I never saw the band, I would picture the members with ripped denims and flannel. No offense.

After last decade's resurgence of the '80s in music, the '90s are now up to bat.

Specifically, The Variety Hour evokes the early '90s sounds of Britpop and shoegaze acts like Teenage Fanclub and Swervedriver. There's an intrinsic pop sensibility riding underneath The Variety Hour's debut EP, albeit awash in grungy guitars. Let's take the song "Na Na Na" as an example: It's a pop purebred, existing in a world where love can be expressed in a sweetly sung wordless chorus. Change up the instrumentation and it could have been recorded in any decade since rock's inception.

Speaking with Rob Olsen, lead singer and co-founder of the band, it's clear that The Variety Hour have had a definite goal from the very beginning of what kind of band they aspire to be.

"I'm a big fan of those British '90s bands. ... They're labeled shoegaze but there's nothing very boring about them. ... That sound, along with really sunny American pop - there's something really exciting about combing those two," says Olsen. "I guess it comes a little bit easier for us to write songs that have hooks. ... Maybe a few years back I might have felt a little insecure about writing something that has kind of a blatant pop element, but I just don't feel insecure about that anymore."

Friday, The New Frontier Lounge will be celebrating the release of The Variety Hour's debut EP. Do yourself a favor and celebrate with them.

[The New Frontier Lounge, with The Dignitaries, Peter Benjamin, Friday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]