Ryan Yingst's "U-hall" Review

  Ryan Yingst’s “U-Haul” gives me the same feeling of staring at my LinkedIn profile at 2 a.m. and wondering why I didn’t become something better my life. The Hershey-born folk journeyman (flannel enthusiast, spreadsheet whisperer, and certified overthinker) crafts a ballad for the chronically restless—the kind of people who daydream about burning their IKEA furniture mid-assembly.

The premise? Life is a U-Haul truck. Not as a metaphor for love, but as a middle finger to monotony. Yingst’s lyrics ditch weepy breakup tropes to ask: What if we just… left? This song is less about heartache and more about the existential dread of being a millennial who accidentally “adulted” too well(god I hate that word). The chorus is catchy in that way that makes you want to quit your side hustle and move to Thailand—or at least repost the song with a “MOOD” caption.

I can just feel the existential dread coming out of this song. Being a young person in our world right now crippling economy, and a possibility of a 3rd world war everyday. When over 50% of the population is in danger in our country, it makes me want to sell everything I own and just buy a van, smoke copious amounts of weed, and just do whatever I want, just to have some sense of happiness I haven’t felt since I was a child. Am I projecting a little? Probably more than I’d like to admit. However, this song embodies that feeling, and for 3 minutes, I feel heard. But back to the topic.

Musically, it’s a folk fever dream of pristine fingerpicking and vocals so smooth they could sell me a used car with a dead prostitute inside it (though Yingst’s occasional Appalachian-meets-Philly accent makes it hard to make out some lyrics towards the end). The production’s polished to a fault—imagine Sawyer Fredericks’ rasp fed through a “How to Adult” YouTube tutorial. It’s all very cozy, like a weighted blanket made of existential crisis.

This song and artist really remind me of Sawyer Fredricks, Tyler Childers, and even Tim McGraw, who are artists I have a fondness for, especially the first 2.

But here’s the twist: Yingst’s not actually ditching responsibility. The song’s tension comes from its suburban rebellion—less “sell everything and live in a van,” more “what if we painted the living room teal?” When he croons, “I was raised by television sets and burning existential threats,” it’s weirdly profound. This isn’t Into the Wild; it’s the conversation you have with your friends while stoned in a Target parking lot. And that I can get behind.

Verdict: 4/5 stars. “U-Haul” is the folk anthem for people who post on Facebook that they’re getting rid of Facebook.

Give it a listen https://open.spotify.com/track/3ru7fFJAnV7XdJH1OIivt3?si=5ef8389a878b40f2