As far as debut albums go, this eponymous release is a surprisingly accomplished effort from the Nottingham-born teenager . Although he stares out from the album cover like a younger, long-lost cousin of or , while those U.K. indie acts found their nourishment on a diet of , , and found time to explore pre- music from the likes of and . These influences -- combined with a folk sensibility and moments of delicate acoustic fingerpicking that betray a love for -- make for an accessible, pop-focused record that doesn't attempt to chase innovation. Much of the material here was co-written, produced, and mixed by collaborator . When combine on "Taste It" and "Trouble Town" -- two of the album's stronger, more raucous tracks -- it's as if you're hearing what would have sounded like if had been their dominant force, as opposed to . It's the intro to "Taste It" in particular that apes "Feelin'" -- the Liverpudlians' final single -- while "Trouble Town" comes across as a rewrite of their cautionary "Doledrum" with its skiffle-fueled tales of unemployment benefits and missed payments. The comparatively positive and sprightly opener "Lightning Bolt" didn't do any harm when it was featured just prior to the BBC's live coverage of Usain Bolt's Olympic 100m victory and was heard by a U.K. audience of 20 million people. Built around a three-chord shuffle and a bridge that would be proud of, it's another example of a / gem. While it's the analog-sounding upbeat tracks such as these that impress, it's the mid-paced, digitally polished ballads and resultant formulaic pacing that underwhelm. It's safe to say that those searching for experimental music should most definitely look elsewhere. "Broken" -- co-written with former frontman -- takes into broad, "X-Factor does indie" territory, while "Country Song" tiptoes between 's vocal quirks and 's suffocating pleasantry. Inoffensive and clean-cut as they are, both tracks signify a mid-album lull and sit awkwardly on a record that is littered with overt drug references and imagery from the street. To his credit, 's too young by far to be a drug bore, and when he takes "a pill or maybe two" in "Seen It All" or is "high on a hash pipe of good intent" in "Simple as This," it feels like social documentation rather than a misguided attempt at glamorizing their use. Elsewhere, Clifton -- the south Nottingham village that calls home -- gets what is possibly its first mention in song on the irresistible, -inspired "Two Fingers." All in all, though 's debut may not share the wordy precociousness of 's formative steps or the political astuteness of on , it's his sheer earnestness and rare gift for writing simple, hook-filled tunes that ultimately charm the listener. ~ James Wilkinson