Two new songs in the trademark Naked Raygun style proving once again the band still has it in the songwriting department.
Rating: 
Naked Raygun – 7″ Series Volume Three 7″
Riot Fest Records
As we are about to embark on the fall of another year Naked Raygun deliver the third installment of their 7″ series. The color scheme is orange this time which is fitting for the season we’re about to start. Much like the last one, this features two brand new studio recordings and like the last one, it once again proves the band still has the musical chops.
“Burning Red”, a Pierre Kezdy penned tune is very faithful to the traditional Naked Raygun sound. It is melodic punk rock at its finest and has all the key ingredients that make a memorable Raygun tune. The lead guitar line is really melodic and has a solid hook sort of like “Treason”. The vocals are very strong and melodic and are mixed very similar to the way they sounded in “Vanilla Blue” which is one of the best Naked Raygun songs of all time. There is the trademark loud Raygun guitar sound throughout the whole song that packs a great punch and the song would have fit perfectly around the All Rise/Jettison era of albums. It is the stronger of the two songs on here and one of, if not the strongest song of the entire 7″ series so far. It alone warrants the price of purchase.
“Black Eyed Blue” was written by guitarist Bill Stephens and is another mid-tempo sing-along melodic punk song. The chorus is the most catchy part of the song and there is a strong Buzzcocks influence. It is the shorter of the two songs too and is a nice compliment to the stronger A-side.
The record is pressed on gold vinyl (which compliments the cover art) with full color labels and is in a full color pocket sleeve. There is no insert or download code. The back cover features all the credits and contact information. The record was mastered a little hot which gives it a sort of fuzzy quality but it is not detracting at all from the overall quality, it sounds like a punk rock record as it should. The artwork keeps with the style and look of the series and all of these singles thus far are really attractive looking. Overall a very nice package and two very good songs which leave me hopeful that the series will keep going.
