Ryan Yingst – “Ordinary Means”
Ryan Yingst Finds Beauty in the Ordinary Through Raw Acoustic Folk
Ryan Yingst’s new release works because it trusts the simplest parts of songwriting: a voice, an acoustic guitar, a few carefully placed harmonies, and the kind of story that does not need to shout to feel important. Built from late-night conversations with small artists trying to survive through their craft, the song carries a very human weight, touching on the strange space between art, work, exhaustion, and the quiet dignity of continuing anyway.
The production is fantastic precisely because it does not overbuild the track. The acoustic guitar has a beautiful organic presence in the mix, with every string and arpeggiated movement coming through clearly. You can feel the performance as something physical, not just a clean recording placed in front of the listener. Knowing the guitar and vocal were captured together in a single take makes sense, because the track has that live-room honesty from the start.
Yingst’s voice sits very close and present, sometimes becoming stronger and rawer in a way that slightly recalls Noah Kahan’s emotional directness. Still, his writing has its own identity. The lyricism feels personal and specific, but not closed off; it speaks to anyone who has ever tried to make something meaningful while the world barely notices. That idea, finding beauty in the wrong place, the wrong time, or the ordinary setting, gives the song a lot of quiet depth.
Eoin Kelly’s harmonica enters with real taste, never taking over the arrangement but giving certain moments a more open, folk-rooted colour. The added vocal harmonies also bring warmth and weight to the chorus, making the minimal structure feel much bigger emotionally.
The mastering by Michael Cumming at Treacle Mine Recording adds a warm, tape-shaped finish that suits the song perfectly. It is minimal, but not small. Raw, but not unfinished. Ryan Yingst has made a deeply heartfelt acoustic folk release, powerful because of its restraint and moving because every detail feels lived in.