“We are dirty, rotten, cheap, and confused,” Johnny Collier bellows on the title track to Write This Down’s Lost Weekend, setting the tone for an album’s worth of confessions and pledges of faith. The Minneapolis-based Christian combo’s sophomore release shows greater focus, homing in on a hard rock sound that pairs Collier’s tormented snarls with guitarist Nate Rockwell’s earnest, clean vocals. Write This Down doesn’t stint on jackhammer riffs or spine-cracking rhythms, but it also comes through with substantial melodies and unusually self-aware lyrics. “Crash and Burn” rips into the band’s own compromised ideals; “I’ll Make You Famous” expands the scope further to take on the mindless excesses of the club scene. Just as effective are acoustic-centered songs like “Cheap Affairs” (an unfaithful lover’s plea for forgiveness) and “Minnesota Interlude” (a soul-searching tune with a surprisingly delicate feel). Amid the shame and fear, Collier and his bandmates reach out to the Savior in the volcanic “Red 7.” A crunchy cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” rounds out this sometimes-harrowing but ultimately redemptive journey into the dark side of life on the road.