A few weeks after Gene Simmons has declared rock music to be dead, alt rock bands continue to crawl out of the woodwork. With everyone scrambling to be the next Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons and Interpol, it’s easy to disregard the newbies. However, Dry The River are screaming for attention on their latest offering, ‘Alarms in the Heart’.

The quintet describe their sound as “folky gospel music played by a post-punk band”. Pretty apt – singer Peter Liddle warbles and whimpers throughout against guitars that snarl and drums that roll with a signature nervous energy.

Opening track Alarms Of The Heart has Liddle sounding suitably on edge. Lyrics are simple, “Our dialogue ended before I intended/I had to let go …”, starting slow, before progressing into full-on frolicking folk guitars and drums. Following suit is Gethsemane: initially slow with classic guitar licks to compliment Liddle’s broad angelic vocals, while the explosive drums carry the track to the two minute mark. Liddle cranks up the creepiness with his storytelling: “I dig your dresses out/And hang ’em ’round about the house/And turn the lights down low …”

Hidden Hand‘s intro sounds like it could be an unreleased New Order track. The guitars echo as the religious themes of the previous track continue, but ultimately this track fails to stand out as anything new or original. Similarly, Rollerskate starts out sweetly with keyboards and soaring vocals, only to be marred by the unnecessary morbid repetition of “I couldn’t want you more/I couldn’t want you more than this …”

However, Roman Candle, a collaboration with Emma Pollock, manages to break new ground. An emotional and sobering listen, the song succeeds as a love song in how it deviates from the norm. The lyrics are fuelled with rage – “You liked the sound of love/Drinking the dragon’s blood/But you might not like the taste …” – but are delivered with complete apathy, representing two lovers exhausted by one another and their love.

Hope Diamond is an, ahem, absolute gem. Eleven minutes of pure indulgence split in two parts, the first an indie dance anthem with persistent percussion paired with choral-inspired vocals, the second a mellow closer for the album. Liddle is a vocal gymnast, but not once does this compromise the soft nature of the song.

Med School has an exciting intro, with sharp riffs and sharper beats, only to be followed up by a hum-drum folk track you can’t help but feel like you’ve heard before. A bluesy influence creeps in on It Was Love That Laid Us Low, which- keeping with the band’s style – starts slow before the sound expands into a sad slow-set complete with moody vocals.

It’s easy to be disparaging about alt rock bands when the market is saturated with them. It’s even easier to make comparisons between those that have established themselves and those are still trudging along. On ‘Alarms of the Heart’, the band showcase why there deserves to be a Dry The River among the Mumfords, the Bon Ivers and Interpols.