Refreshingly different from rockier Rough Trade label mates such as Franz Ferdinand and Babyshambles, Southampton's Delays create melodic guitar pop in the tradition of The Byrds, The Hollies, The Stone Roses and The La's.

They make no bones about their burning ambition to be the "perfect pop band."

Lead singer Greg Gilbert, possessed of an effeminate falsetto, is the band's serious, self-confessed hermit, who frequently holes up on their tour bus, working on music.

His brother, keyboardist Aaron, says: "I'm the loud, opinionated one who pisses people off. Honesty is my favourite policy."

Comparisons to The Cocteau Twins are shrugged off. "People keep saying that because of Greg's voice and the ethereal quality of the effects, but our influences are all over the place. I grew up listening to Detroit techno. Greg was into Prince and Abba."

The sublime, airy chimes of current single Valentine are typical of Delays' music but buried beneath the spangly pop are dark tales of lost innocence, premature death and wasted lives. The music occasionally takes on a melancholy air, but it is their dizzying, exuberant three-minute pop thrills which will win listeners over.

After a series of stumbling blocks, including Greg losing his voice and Aaron losing 100 songs worth of material, Aaron says: "We want to tour the world, play gigs and sweat every night and enjoy it."

And now, You See Colours, the band's second album and follow up to Faded Seaside Glamour, is complete, and the band are ecstatic.

"We've had some amazing feedback," says Aaron. "Let's not be British about it. People say positivity in America is forced, but it's infectious."

Spending time abroad has been "amazing" and clearly an eyeopener. One trip to the Rocky Mountains in Canada, says Aaron, was particularly enlightening.

"Wow, it was the most 'now' I've ever been. For five minutes I got it. It was absolutely stunning."

It's not all been plain sailing, however. Aaron admits he's had his fair share of rock 'n' roll excess.

"It's non-stop," he says. "I've felt like I'm going mad at times, doing things I shouldn't be doing.

"It's calmed down a bit now, but it's ridiculous. You can do anything you want when you're in a band, you can fall to every temptation.

People want to give you things to make you stay up all night - although that's not my vice."

So what is his poison? Drinking too much water, it turns out.

"I flushed out all my electrolytes," he says. "One night I was rushed home from Bath, hallucinating, having all manner of backstreet thoughts. No one needs ten bottles of Evian."