Pushing It Down and Praying

"Pushing It Down and Praying" is an indie pop song.^[1] It begins as an acoustic track,^[2] before suddenly transitioning to a soft rock sound halfway through the song during the second verse, with an electric guitar and beat.^[1][2] Lyrically, Lizzy McAlpine describes her inner conflict of pining for her former partner while being romantically involved with another person.^[1][2][3] Although she is in a stable relationship with her current partner, she does not share a deep connection with him as she did with her previous one.^[1][2] She yearns for clarity,^[1] as her past relationship experiences hinder her enjoyment of her current relationship. In the chorus, McAlpine sings about wanting to feel guilty but finding herself unable to. She eventually suppresses her emotions from her partner.^[2]

Clare Gehlich of Melodic wrote that McAlpine "beautifully captures" a "duality of guilt and confusion" in the song.^[1] Raniel Santos praised the song's combination of different music styles, commenting "The drums are impactful while leaving space for the harder-sounding electric guitar and sweeter-sounding harmonies to meaningfully clash in the mix."^[2]

The music video was released alongside the song. It was directed by Sweetiepie and Lizzy McAlpine,^[3] who is seen standing before an audience.^[1] The clip also features an appearance from singer-songwriter Role Model, who performs a dance sequence with her.^[3]