Say A Prayer To The Gods Of Getting Going is Squirrel Flower’s sixth full-length and her fourth released via Polyvinyl Records. Written across 2024 and 2025, each song represents a moment or place encountered by Ella Williams during a period of extensive travel.
The record was initially recorded in Door County, Wisconsin, co-produced by Seth Engel and Jack Henry, before being refined further at Alex Farrar’s Drop of Sun studio in North Carolina. Farrar, known for his work with MJ Lenderman and Wednesday, encouraged Williams to explore the idea of amplifying the quieter, more delicate side of her songwriting, resulting in an album that often feels spacious, atmospheric and deliberately unhurried.
Opening with the title track, Williams immediately establishes that mood. Heavily distorted yet sparse guitars provide a suitably imposing backdrop, while her soft, ethereal vocals drift across the track. There is a mystical quality to the arrangement, as Williams’ voice seems to float above the instrumentation, making for a powerful opening.
Cleveland follows with something considerably more melodic, although it retains some of the grunge and weight of its predecessor. Built around the repeated line “he’s cute, but he doesn’t like Cleveland”, it is an understated love song about choosing a place and a way of life over a romantic interest.
Not Me is one of the album’s strongest moments. Written following a dream Williams had in New Mexico, the song carries a distinctly country influence, something Williams attributes to having listened heavily to Linda Ronstadt while writing it. The arrangement gives her voice plenty of room, and she takes full advantage, sounding warmer and more assured than on some of the album’s quieter passages. The repeated refrain of “this life is free, you gotta take what you can get, not me” captures the tension between freedom and uncertainty that runs throughout the record.
Another standout is Reelin’. Built around 12-string guitar, recorder and accordion, it is one of the album’s most tender and inviting compositions. Williams’ voice blends naturally into the arrangement as she tells the story of a boy who “momma doesn’t miss”, who is nevertheless “reelin’ me back again”. There is a timeless quality to the track, with the combination of the track’s arrangement and Williams’ vocals giving it real warmth.
The instrumentation and production of Foot Thick Ice provide another highlight. It is the heaviest track on the record, yet contrasts its bursts of heavy rock with some of the album’s most delicate guitars and sweetest vocals. Those heavier choruses allow the song to really pop, offering a welcome change of pace from the more restrained moments elsewhere.
That variation is needed because Say A Prayer can occasionally struggle to maintain its momentum. Tracks such as Helicopter and Sick Tooth blend too easily into the album without making much of an impact. There is nothing particularly wrong with either song, but they don’t leave the same impression as the record’s stronger moments, leaving a feeling that something more could have been done to make them stand out.
The delicacy of Fought For A Hornet is similarly appealing, with picked acoustic guitar and layered harmonies creating another beautifully understated arrangement. Yet it doesn’t quite engage in the same way as the album’s more grungy and expansive tracks. It is pleasant without being particularly memorable, highlighting how some of the record’s quieter moments can struggle to leave a lasting impression.
When Williams allows the guitars to become more forceful, or gives her voice room to take centre stage, the album becomes considerably more compelling. Not Me, Reelin’ and Foot Thick Ice demonstrate how effectively she can combine strong melodies with more distinctive arrangements, giving these tracks a character that some of the album’s softer moments lack.
Say A Prayer To The Gods Of Getting Going is a well-composed and carefully produced record, with some stunning moments. However, while its strongest tracks demonstrate exactly what makes Squirrel Flower so compelling, the album doesn’t quite sustain that level of engagement throughout, making it an enjoyable listen rather than an essential one.
