Squirrel Flower Finds the Cure for Everything on the Open Road
Squirrel Flower’s Ella O’Connor Williams has always written music that sounds lived-in, but on her fourth album for Polyvinyl — her sixth overall — that lived-in quality finally matches the songs’ own restlessness. Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going was cut at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville with producer Alex Farrar, and it treats the road itself as a kind of open-ended prayer: less about arriving anywhere than trusting the act of moving.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Farrar’s production keeps the rhythm section loose and unhurried, giving the songs room to amble rather than march. The Spatial Dynamics: “Foot Thick Ice” is the clearest showcase — it opens in Sade-style ’80s R&B space before the mix widens into slowcore and Big Thief-esque ramshackle rock, and the transition never feels forced.
Standout Performance
“Reelin’,” reportedly started as lyrics scrawled on the back of a Kansas Turnpike toll bill, pairs a 12-string guitar tone that recalls Johnny Marr with unexpected accordion, and the arrangement’s confidence is the record’s quiet flex. Williams’ voice stays the constant throughout — conversational, unhurried, never oversung.
Track Highlights
⚡ “Cleveland,” co-written with her brother Nate, is the emotional peak — Paste called it one of the best songs Williams has ever written, and the plainspoken melody backs that up.
🌈 “Reelin’” is the arrangement highlight, 12-string and accordion doing more together than either could alone.
A peripatetic pursuit whose endpoint lies within the voyage itself — Paste nailed the phrase, and the record earns it.