There’s nothing wrong with a little headbanging rock ‘n’ roll. And that’s exactly why Sequoia’s latest, Couple Two Tree, works so well. Gritty guitar-play meets arena rock melodies in a record that would rather bring out the listener’s inner rocker than reinvent the wheel.

Sequoia are heavy at times, but never reach a sinister level. Instead, tensely layered guitars often give way to dueling power-pop leads. But the rhythm section’s dance-punk grooves and plucky low end steady the music’s airiness. The result is a sound that’s crunchy and frantic without getting angsty.

And then there’s the every-Chicagoan lyrics that provides a touch of soul and sense of place. “On lockdown today in this town/ The snow fell like rain, without sound/ All the CTA delays, I’m northbound/ I’ll sit at Jefferson Park and wait the storm out,” sings singer-guitarist Wade Work during the rabid squall of “Lockdown.”

Couple Two Tree opens with ferocity as “The Hunt” races by in a cloud of steel wool riffage and caramel-thick bass. “Bitter” switches from stoner metal breakdowns to melancholy indie rock on a dime, and “Headlines” opens with a fuzzy fake out before easing back on a spacey guitar line that recalls Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes.”

For those that thought big Midwestern hard rock had gone by the wayside, Sequoia prove otherwise on Couple Two Tree.

Purchase a digital copy of Couple Two Tree at Sequoia’s Bandcamp page.