It’s hard not to approach any new folk band without a certain London familial-in-name foursome at the back of your mind; Dry The River take all of one song to dispel any such notion. With rockier sensibilities and one ear firmly on the stadiums, their debut full-length Shallow Bed delivers on all the promise of their Weights & Measures EP that led to numerous nods – ourselves included – in the 2012 tip-lists. Euphoric, heart-breaking and powerfully raw, it simply stirs emotions you never thought you had and practically demands a standing ovation once it’s over. Encores are inevitable.

You see, Dry The River aren’t a band to deliver half-measures; only once does a track on Shallow Bed not build to a rabble-rousing, unashamedly soaring finale and even then, ‘Demons’ blends so effortlessly into ‘Bible Belt’ that it could almost be considered part one of a two-part epic. It’s to the five-piece’s credit that this blueprint never becomes tiresome and instead builds, over the course of eleven tracks, to a glorious apex at the climax of ‘Lion’s Den’, where Peter Liddle’s vocals are layered under the frantic guitars, thumping drums and sumptuous strings. It’s almost a shame that bonus track ‘Family’ follows as you’ll struggle to regain your composure once ‘Lion’s Den’ is done with you.

A huge part of this emotive connection comes from Liddle’s phenomenal lead vocals; fragile yet powerful, he makes you feel every note and believe every word such as when, on the sublime ‘Weights & Measures’, he proclaims that “I was prepared to love you / And never expect anything of you”. But even that pales in comparison to the extraordinary ‘No Rest’ which proved a strong challenger - to these ears - to ‘Video Games’' track-of-the-year status on its release last year, and it loses none of its power here. Smartly delivered after the subtle melancholy of ‘Bible Belt’, it starts off softly but climaxes furiously with Liddle straining every sinew as he states “I loved you in the best way possible”.

To say it’s the Liddle show would be unfair though as the pitch-perfect backing vocal harmonies, gentle guitar picking and lush strings all have their moment to shine and never fail to deliver: ‘New Ceremony’ is honey on the ears thanks to the strings that flit between swooping and staccato; ‘Bible Belt’ is lifted above its somewhat clunky lyrics – “This might be the coldest winter / Since records began” – by its lovely, delicate guitars. It’s all boosted by stunning production from Peter Katis who knows when to amp up the powerful finales to live setting levels, as much as when to hold back and preserve the raw balladry of the likes of ‘Shaker Hymns’.

And despite our protestations to the comparison, one similarity is present: given the right exposure, Shallow Bed has all the elements – catchy melodies, big choruses and emotive storytelling, albeit not exactly deep except for the frequent religious nods – to become the next Sigh No More. Dry The River certainly deserve it to be.