“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.” 

Nathan professes, “The early 2010s Chicago scene is still one of my 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 here 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.”

Engineered and mixed by Lily Wen at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, NY, July 16 and September 10, 2023. Additional mixing completed by Nathan at home. All songs written by Nathan O’Flynn-Pruitt between 2019 and 2023. This record is performed solo on acoustic guitar and voice without overdubs, except “Rearview” is aided with a few minor edits.

Audio mastered by Patrick Klem.

Lacquer masters cut by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service.

Vinyl pressed at Smashed Plastic.

Photography by Rachael O’Flynn-Pruitt taken in New Mexico, Death Valley, and Yreka, CA.

All songs by Nathan O’Flynn-Pruitt, copyright Meaning Through Sound (ASCAP).