Remember that girl you liked freshman year of high school? Yeah, that one who sat two rows in front of you in Honors English. You thought she would never go out with a loser like you, but then one day one of her friends told you she was into you too- Avi Buffalo’s album feels like that moment of revelation. The album’s lyrical content picks up at that precise instant, delving into the tribulations of love, romance and relationships. The songwriting on this self-titled debut is complex in thought, but not in words, meaning you get a simple-to-understand yet staggeringly layered listening experience. With phrases like “should I take you to more functions/or would you rather be lonely,” don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about that person you really liked who dumped you, the one that got away, that someone you always wanted to be with but never were, etc. as you listen.

Complimenting the amazingly mature lyrics are incredible guitar solos. It’s no surprise that Nels Cline, guitarist of Wilco, is one of lead guitarist Avi Zahner-Isenberg’s influences. The tone and feel of guitar on tracks like “Remember Last Time” and “Can’t I Know” could fit just as easily into Cline’s rendition of “I’m the Man who Loves You,” on Wilco’s famous album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. What Avi Buffalo have created here is a work that combines amazing instrumental parts with songwriting. In uniting those two components, the band seems as if they are fully grown, not just putting out their first album. Go out and get your hands and ears on this album, and join Zahner-Isenberg’s band on an exploration of the ups and downs of love and lust. Or, rather than projecting my own neuroses onto Avi Buffalo, go listen to it and explore your own.