My first exposure to Old Age took me by surprise. The opening, titular track of their latest release, Rain Won't Ever Come, begins with a ragged lead vocal surrounded on all sides by boozy oohs and la las. The track is slightly reminiscent of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down," all shaggy and full of feeling.

Old Age have a way about them - a way of conveying that they have all of this feeling but not the right instruments for letting that feeling out. If they were a bunch of virtuosos, you know they'd prefer it, but they have what they have and in the meantime there's a whole lot of heartache to get out there.

When I spoke with lead guitarist and singer Matthew Ulm, he was on the side of the road in the deserts of Washington, having just gotten done doing a show in Boise. He was soft-spoken and to the point, more comfortable downplaying Old Age, but quick to compliment others. There's a humility to Ulm that reflects in the music of Old Age.

"About two years ago, we were in another band, lost a member, and then we started Old Age," Ulm says, matter-of-factly. "The bass player Dustin Daniels and I had been working together for about ten years, and we decided that we weren't gonna stop. So, we just found some new players and kept going. We're not gonna stop."

Just like "Rain Won't Ever Come" might suggest, Old Age are somewhat enamored of classic rock. There's a lot of attention paid to simple melodies and heartfelt deliveries. At times, Old Age begins to resemble that odd mixture of classic rock idolatry and '90s sensibilities that defined groups like Oasis.

Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Old Age in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

OLD AGE, w/ Bandolier, the Nadines, 9 p.m., Friday, July 26, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St, Tacoma, $5, 253.572.4020