Debut LP Songs From Behind a Mountain released June 6, 2025 on Brooklyn's Figure and Ground Records.
“The 25 Best Folk Albums of 2025” (no. 18) -PopMatters
“On his first full-length of songs for acoustic guitar and vocals, there’s a joy in letting go, as these tracks are rangy, strict, and unexpected, something I don’t often encounter in the steely fingerpicking… A solid debut.” -Doug Mosurock, Heathen Disco
“The primitivist leanings of Songs From Behind a Mountain are often disarmingly raw, making the record a deeply intimate listening experience. The album is a rich tapestry of rough edges.” -Chris Ingalls, PopMatters
“Part of me was left wondering what riches an entire album of guitar instrumentals might deliver, [but] O’Flynn-Pruitt’s lyrics are so raw, so emotional, that they mark this out as something not only unique but very special indeed.” -Phil McMullen, Terrascope Online
"['Guidance' showcases] instrumental prowess and command of wordless mood… However, ‘Rearview,’ which follows, slips quiet anguish into its flowery arbors of sound, the human voice grounding all we can experience and imagine.” -Jennifer Kelly, Dusted Magazine
“In 2013 I did a nationwide tour with Chicago street music legend Little Howlin' Wolf, but there were enough bleak shows that made me lose confidence in this guitar feedback project I was doing,” says guitarist/songwriter Nathan O’Flynn-Pruitt. “At the same time, I moved from Chicago to Humboldt County, California – a rural area without an experimental scene. But I’ve always owned an acoustic guitar, and I just became obsessed with getting better every day.”
Though Nathan professes that the early 2010s Chicago scene is still one of his "main influences,” after moving into one of the city’s many underground venues, he experienced a creative detour: “I stopped singing around that time – I just didn’t think it was for me – but then it all came back during this all-nighter at my friend’s farm in 2020. A couple songs appeared to me. I wrote them down in the morning and recorded the melodies on my phone. I then re-taught myself to sing over a couple years, and then we made the record when I knew I found my voice.”
On June 6, 2025, Figure & Ground releases Nathan O’Flynn-Pruitt’s debut album Songs from Behind a Mountain. Label owner Lily Wen produced, engineered, mixed, and recorded the album live (without overdubs) at Shahzad Ismaily’s Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn. Nathan performed the record solo on acoustic guitar and voice. Limited to 250 vinyl copies pressed at Smashed Plastic, the 12-inch LP features a gatefold layout and digital download card. Chicago Mastering Service’s Greg Obis provided lacquer cutting. Available for pre-order exclusively at fgrecords.com and on Bandcamp.
Although removed from noise, Nathan still uses sensibilities gained while performing the genre back in the day. He explains, “Noise is already chaotic to begin with, but then there’s other times when it gets more wild – that’s something I employ when writing acoustic guitar. It’s for no other reason than to just express emotions I have – or we all have.” Despite this experimental approach, he leaves room for introspection, “Sometimes when I’m practicing and writing, I imagine playing in the woods for my friends and they’re lying down and looking up at the stars – that’s the ideal show situation – people just lying down and looking up.”