Las Vegas Weekly

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It’s often said repetition is the key to learning, but year-old Vegas band Habit has the opposite musical attitude. “We don’t like reoccurring themes,” guitarist Bobby Lyons explains. “Every time we do a song, we want to do something completely different.”

That much is clear listening to Habit’s two EPs, Saddlebag and Societal Circus (both available at habitismusic.bandcamp.com), which bridge elements of progressive and experimental rock with unique time signatures and breakdowns. Lyons suggests you judge for yourself on July 26, when the quintet opens for Happy Body Slow Brain—featuring members of Taking Back Sunday—at Yayo Taco. “We’re not so much a studio band,” Lyons says. “We try to bring a lot of energy to our shows. We’re not just playing songs so people can sing along.”

The young, lanky Habit crew already has some good live experience, particularly guitarist Jake Massanari, who toured with British band Asking Alexandria in 2010 as a member of now-defunct Vegas outfit And She Whispered. The Habit guys—Lyons, Massanari, vocalist Chasen Mobley, bassist Blake Riley and drummer Dylan Self—have earned a quick following, amassing more than 2,000 “likes” on Facebook since forming in June 2011. The band is at work on a third EP while preparing for an August West Coast tour with fellow Vegas band Stolas.