Weapons-grade folk rock peaks at the outset of Town Hall Devils’ debut disc with “Always on the Run,” a sludgy, somber ballad where unwieldy guitar feedback erupts over three sparse chords as bassist/singer Micah Hayes growls cryptic Midwestern poetry. The local trio’s Americana laced with riffs and heavy rhythms drinks from the same fountain as fellow southerners Lucero, but invests more in irrepressible freedom, evident on strong-willed closer “Kick It Around.”

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This article appears in June 5 • 2015.

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