Review Summary: Flee the Seen make a sincere attempt at a freshman record, but their inexperience and influence bleeds through on every track with redundancy and a choking stench of unoriginality.
The sad reality that is the current state of Post-Hardcore is a well known topic. Rip-off bands with similar sounding choruses, similar subject matter, and redundant and "heavy" breakdowns and riffs infest headphones across high schools, and the popularity of repetitiveness is astounding; you would think someone would get bored of hearing and writing the same thing over and over. Unfortunately, this is the exact situation that Flee the Seen find themselves in. Melodramatic lyrics are laced with the stereotypical guitar work and blast beats that have been played, notated, and emoted to for decades upon years. There's little new to bring to the consumer in this album, and it's a shame with such physically attractive front men and women to deliver it that the music is so bland. With the right notes and personality, they could have become the next Paramore.
Flee the Seen (Their play on words gives you an idea of their originality) start the album off with a "heavy" track; possibly an opener for a show, or a track composed in the studio. Aside from an interesting bridge in the middle, it lacks to please in any real way. The usual minor seconds with Drop-D chugs are used, and realistically it isn't anything you hear outside of the normal VFW hall shows in your local town. The guitar tone on this track, as well as the rest of the album, bounces from "Meh" to "Not Crunchy enough".
Following this are several songs that nearly all repeat the same riff with some level of attempt to vary it up that ultimately fails. The problem is they repeat sections for far too long, and make cheesy attempts at trying to be artsy, all while becoming Taking Back Sunday. Take the outro to "Do You Think Dallas is Still in the Slammer?", which varies screaming and frontwoman Kim saying "I promise." A very amateur sounding, and actually embarrassing thing to do. It'd be better off to leave nothing in there than bad attempts at seeming unique and cliche-laced metaphors.
The next few tracks sound like TBS b-sides and with the exception of the closing track, "300 Voices at Liberty Hall" are worth the skip. The choruses are incredibly similar, and honestly not that catchy. There is some experimentation with some guitar effects, but nothing on the album actually stands out. Several listens through leave you wanting something more and something much more developed. The songs lack any substance and utilize similar structures and replicating themes that are delivered with the semi-pleasing voices of frontwoman Kim and guitarist RL. The only saving song is the aforementioned "300 Voices at Liberty Hall". Starting with a delayed and atmospheric opening, and then going on to a much more melodic and not-so-repetitive structure, it offers a brief picture of what this band could become, but due to them splitting up, we'll never know what could have been of Flee the Seen.
Ultimately worth a brief listen to, but not even the strongest of Rise Records fanboys would dig this CD.
