Red Animal War

The Riff Randells’ self-titled EP offers unembellished and tuneful songs, lurking somewhere between the unfettered attitude of Joan Jett and the immediate melody of the Ramones. The rapid-fire, ephedrine-laced "C’mon” and "M.O.” are abrupt and compulsively melodic songs. While "Mississippi Hotdog” is a more mid-tempo tune, featuring a head nodding, stuttered rhythm and bubblegum chorus, pointing a water ski towards the territory of early Go-Go’s. In six brief songs, the Riff Randells show that they have a transparent ability to write catchy, unpretentious music.