It feels like we’re in the golden age of bayonets, doesn’t it?

OK, maybe not the golden age. But this week, bayonets are making a comeback! First there was President Obama’s debate quip about the U.S. military using fewer “horses and bayonets” now than it did 100 years ago, and tonight, Seattle’s Daniel Kirkpatrick and the Bayonets will play the Northwest Best series at Bend’s Liquid Lounge.

Kirkpatrick is a former corporate warrior who quit his job in 2010, reconnected with old friends and started a band. Now, their 10-track debut album, “Alibis,” is set for release in January.

On the Bayonets’ Facebook page, the band claims to sound like “Elvis Costello meets Tom Petty,” and its Reverbnation profile cites Nada Surf and Death Cab for Cutie. All of which is fair. The songs online reveal Kirkpatrick’s easy knack for memorable melodies and vintage aesthetic.

In the band’s bio, Kirkpatrick elaborates: “For this album, I wrote ’60s-influenced pop songs, because that’s always what I’ve gravitated towards as a listener. Staying true to that is what makes the album what it is.”

Daniel Kirkpatrick and the Bayonets, with Jaccuzi; 8:30 tonight; $5; Liquid Lounge, 70 N.W. Newport Ave., Bend; www.liquidclub.net.