Thanks to bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, Black Wire and the Cribs, Leeds and its surrounding area hasn't been this hot since the heady goth days of the 1980s. Wakefield's the Research are a youthful trio whose debut album aches with Yorkshire's new-found indie credibility and shows that the area has got a damn sight more chipper in the past 20 years as well.

Unapologetically twee, it's bedroom-crafted Blue Peter pop is stacked with stories of teen romance and subsequent broken hearts, like The Way You Used to Smile, with its playful melody and DIY fuzzy keys. Frontman Russell Searle's honest lyrics come across best on tracks such as I Love You and We've Got Something, where they're backed by the fragile girly tones of bassist Georgia Lashbrook and drummer Sarah Williams. It's an approach that recalls the Young Marble Giants and the Vaselines, and gives the group's sometimes immature kiddiepunk a sense of grounding. The eerie a cappella of Splitting Hairs also shows they're more than capable of being mature if they have to, they just don't fancy it much.