Obliquely Christian-themed positive post-hardcore from Kansas City, MO,
Flee the Seen make their belated full-length debut with the pleasant but frustratingly uneven
Doubt Becomes the New Addiction. Primary lead singer Kim Anderson is the band's focal point, for good reason: a much better singer than the average emo whiner, Anderson has a full-bodied voice that brings an air of assertiveness to tracks like the album highlight "300 Voices at Liberty Hall" and "Right Before You Disappear." Unfortunately, secondary singer R.L. Brooks has a textbook case of Generic Screamo Voice, and the songs he sings, such as "I'll Be Back on Sunday," are therefore far less interesting. If
Flee the Seen were to focus all of their attention on Anderson's singing and songwriting, their music would improve dramatically pretty much immediately; given that they already show the potential to rise above the seemingly endless multitudes of other bands in the style thanks to Anderson, putting her out front for good seems like a no-brainer. ~ Stewart Mason