A song that's irritating yet fun
The Research have clearly spent an lot of time listening to the Libertines and the Byrds with the unfortunate result being an incredibly annoying single. It's not that the song is bad to begin with, but the keyboard makes 'The Hard Times' sound as if it's on speed.
To be fair, it could be described as cute, in the same way that a little girl with pig tails and pink ribbons in her hair is - it's an acquired taste. The best thing about the song is the sense of fun that abounds, because this certainly is full of it. This will most likely appeal to the sort of person who likes the Pipettes and spending sunny days by the English seaside.
'The Hard Times' definitely won't be to everyone's taste, but then The Research probably didn't make it to suit everyone's tastes.