10/06/2026
Ryan Yingst’s A Nice Neighborhood to Have Bad Habits In is a folk/country EP that feels remarkably sincere from beginning to end. There’s a strong singer-songwriter sensibility throughout, occasionally bringing to mind the more stripped-back, reflective side of John Mayer, while other moments carry the emotional directness of Midwest emo. Yingst has a knack for taking feelings that could easily sound overly familiar and presenting them in a way that feels personal and lived-in.
A lot of that comes through in his writing. The lyrics are earnest without feeling overly polished or calculated, and there’s a vulnerability to the way he approaches subjects like growing older, relationships, regret, and the versions of ourselves we leave behind. His vocal performances complement that perfectly. There’s a felt quality to his voice that makes even the quieter moments land, as if the songs are being sung because he genuinely has something he needs to say rather than simply because the melody calls for it.
The EP also benefits from its sense of restraint. These songs don’t need huge production moments to make an impact; the arrangements leave enough space for the writing and vocals to stay at the center. That gives the project a cohesive, intimate quality while still allowing each song to have its own personality.
The highlight for me is the closer, “We Were Once Wild.” It feels like the emotional culmination of everything that comes before it, with Yingst delivering one of his most affecting vocal performances on the project. Ending here gives the EP a sense of reflection that makes the whole thing feel more complete. A Nice Neighborhood to Have Bad Habits In is the kind of project that rewards actually sitting with the songs it feels less like a collection of tracks and more like being let into a very specific chapter of someone’s life.
ANNTHBH | out now | link in bio
written by Adam Stone
cover art by madison 👻🎃
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