Pedro mastermind David Bazan uses Havasu to spin autobiographical tween/teenage stories into widescreen portraits, balancing heartbreak and warm nostalgia without ever falling into the deadly path of sentimentality. The ode to his “First Drum Set” lopes from minimal, lurching guitar to buzzy indie rock, pacing the father/son decision to trade clarinet for drums in a way that makes silent glances feel like the high drama described. And the motorik beat of “Teenage Synthesizer” tracks the years between first kiss-to break up-to make up with a small but devastating chorus; “there goes nature/pulling me along like a synthesizer/right on time/turning me into a teenager/will i always be a teenager now?” A beautiful coming of age short film in the form of a compact disc. 

– Alex Riggs