Twenty-five-year-old Ryan Pollie records as Los Angeles Police Department, a ridiculously unwieldy name that might also be a private joke—as institutions go, the LAPD doesn't have the friendliest public face. Pollie's frail voice and distracted, palm-muted strumming, however, is about as far away from "imposing" as you can get. His singing is unvarnished and boyish but sturdy, with a little indie-pop yelp, and on "She Came Through (Again)" it serves a simple, sweet tune. -=-=-=-

A whispery blot of distorted guitar sits in the back of the track like refrigerator hum, which Pollie harmonizes wordlessly, giving a few extra layers to the song. This is bedroom-pop, for sure, emerging from the teeming netherworld of four-track recordings and small-press tapes. You can hear the ghosted smudges of previous tracks haunting the edges like bad memories. "I let her go/ And that was wrong," Pollie concludes, plainly.