Idaho’s Youth Lagoon, which is the nom de plume of 22-year-old Trevor Powers, was birthed in the winter of 2010, when Powers, on holiday from Boise State University, wrote a series of songs in his bedroom. “July” surfaced online in early 2011; the song starts modestly with steady organ tones and eventually swells into Powers’ plaintive cries—“Explosions pillaging the night/From the fireworks on the Fourth of July/It’s just my lady, our friends, and I/Smoking cigars and yelling at cars as they drive by.” “Afternoon,” which, along with “July,” can be found on Youth Lagoon’s debut, The Year of Hibernation, is composed of a magical whistle riff, twisting guitar lines, and light clap and ends with Powers sighing some wordless melodies. Powers has an extraordinary talent for poetically capturing the crystalline moments of youth, but his expressive music is such that sometimes, he doesn’t even have to sing lyrics to convey his swelling emotions. With Pure Bathing Culture. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Thu., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., 2012