Nitsuh Abebe of allmusic said the album has "the continual loose brilliance that's typically only found on debut records." He awarded Prayer for the Halcyon Fear four out of five stars, calling it the band's best effort to date.[1] Critics of the Trouser Press called it "a delightful debut" that has "a mildly psychedelic sense of play that sets the band apart."[2]
In 1990, the album was re-issued by Absolute A Go Go Records on CD and cassette, containing "Flowers Through the Air" and "Zippity-Do-Dah" as bonus material. Bob Bert provided liner notes which detailed the band's history.[1]
All lyrics are written by Donna Croughn & John Hamilton, except "Sweet Solutions" by Jane Scarpantoni; all music is composed by Donna Croughn & John Hamilton