Finally, something entertaining has come from Vancouver besides good dope. Shut up and Drive is a solid effort from an up-and-coming band of three chicks and one lucky dude who can actually play their instruments. The Flairs rock out with surprising technical ability, despite their obvious low budget. The 13 song track list has a recognizable Bif Naked feel–not surprising since guitarist Gillian Hanna plays for both bands–but this influence doesn’t stop the Flairs from standing alone.
The album’s title, Shut Up and Drive, is an apt indicator of it’s contents, since all the tracks are heavy, hard-driving and perfect for hitting the road with. High energy and punk style riffs carry the album off in style, but not without flaw. Due to the consistency of tempo, and the sometimes overly-loud feel of the songs, Shut up and Drive becomes slightly monotonous after a while.
The strength of lead vocalist Dawn Mandarino’s talent is clearly evident, but the lyrics themselves often contain more than a touch of cliched teenage angst and relationship woes, sadly causing several songs to come off as immature. All things considered, though, the high points outweigh the low ones, and it’ll be neat to see what the Flairs come up with next, once they find something new to be angry about.