Album Review: Squirrel Flower - ‘Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going’

Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Squirrel Flower (Ella Williams) is back with her latest release Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going, wherever you get music this Friday! The record is a product of the stories and people that helped shape the final product, including recording and finishing stops in Wisconsin and North Carolina. The record was produced by Alex Farrar, (MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, Waxahatchee) and his influence helped ignite Williams’ sound to evoke comps to her earlier folk inspired work, along with more indie and guitar driven tracks. The juxtaposition between the two really makes the record an engaging listen.

After a more instrumentally based intro (which is titled after the name of the album), Williams comes out swinging with recently released single “Cleveland”, which tells the story of choosing the city on Lake Erie over a crush, and was written in collaboration with Williams’ family band uncommon rat. We really loved the next tune on the release, “Not Me” which features some slightly distorted guitar work, along with some pedal steel guitar toward the later part of the song.

Another standout on the record is “Foot Thick Ice”, where on the verse Williams leans into the more ethereal aspects of soundscaping before she kicks the door in on the chorus with heavy distortion, paired with some dynamic vocals from Williams, where she moves in and out of a falsetto effortlessly. The track pairs back down again on the verse, before jumping back in at the chorus. We especially appreciated the pairing of the driving guitar and pounding percussion on this one. We also really enjoyed “Surfing USA” which features some acoustic guitar, accompanied by electric leads, that fit perfectly with Williams vocals, which are layered intricately over the rhythm.

Squirrel Flower has a reputation for her dynamic lyrics and forward-thinking instrumentation. However, we feel that she really pushes herself on this latest release. In short, there is a bit of something for everyone on the record including folk-inspired tracks and more indie/alt flavored songs which pair well together. Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going is a winner for the prolific singer/songwriter who has a history of good choices on her past releases.

Rating - 7.5/10