Armored Heart

iTunes Review

North Carolina’s Runaway City embraces forgiveness, salvation and renewal on their debut album Armored Heart. The quintet trades in a brash, guitar-heavy sound, ladling crunchy riffs atop urgent, minor-key melodies and churning rhythms. Lyrically, the band’s Christian outlook is applied to matters of earthly heartache (“No Escape,” “Try”) as well as spiritual uplift. Songs like “Daybreak,” “Fade” and “More Than This” are bracing faith-centered rockers, rising from smoldering verses to soaring choruses. Singer Josh Edwards brings an Eddie Vedder-like urgency to his vocals, catching the right note of tenderness in “Only You” and connecting with the tormented undercurrent of “Scars.” The accent is kept on the positive, with hope snatched from despair even on downbeat numbers like “Lately.” Armored Heart benefits from Jason Elgin’s bold production and mixing approach, achieving an in-your-face sound that drives each track home. All told, Runaway City delivers a vibrant, substantial batch of tunes on this promising first effort.