''Creatures'' by Ben Heyworth – Urban Folk with a Mirror to the Soul By Hit Harmony Haven

Creatures

After a long creative pause, Ben Heyworth returns under his name with ''Creatures'', a stunning three-track EP that plays like a private diary cracked open beneath the smoky skyline of Manchester. With roots in indie-pop, electronica, and now a self-styled “urban folk” sound, Heyworth’s latest work is both a personal reflection and a sharp social sketch. Recorded at Blueprint Studios—also home to Elbow—'' Creatures'' is deeply steeped in its place of origin, echoing the poetic charm and chaotic humanity of Ancoats Marina, where Heyworth now resides. There’s grit here, yes—but also warmth, memory, and something just short of transcendence.

The opening track, “Narrowboat,” sets the tone with gentle acoustic strums, glowing harmonies, and lyrical meditations on life, death, and stillness. The titular vessel becomes a kind of floating metaphor—a place to smoke a pipe, love someone deeply, and let time breathe. Heyworth’s vocal delivery is subtle and sincere, evoking artists like Neil Finn and Tori Amos in its gentle ache. There’s a sense of melancholy, but it’s beautifully grounded: “Days, as I live and breathe / They lift me up like the breath of the morning.” The city’s canals are spiritual terrain, where the water reflects light and the shape of memory and mortality.

The middle track, “Image of Roads,” shifts gears into a more surreal, beat-driven space. The lyrics imagine a dreamy American road trip, but the speaker is quick to question its authenticity: “Is this a 3-D export image of roads?” The track’s brilliance lies in this ambiguity—reality and fantasy blur as the song speeds forward, fueled by dusty organs, synth textures, and a sly groove. There’s a cinematic quality to it—part Drive, part Truman Show—with the dashboard acting as a confessional, and the miles piling up as a metaphor for emotional distance. Heyworth uses the road trip trope not for escape, but to explore disillusionment, longing, and the ever-slipping grip on what's real.

The closing number, “Creature Double Feature,” is the most theatrical of the three, a surreal parade of oddballs, outcasts, and mirror-gazing metaphors. It’s a kaleidoscope of imagery—blue girls, grebos, ravens, sailors—all swirling through a carnival of identity and self-doubt. There’s something Bowie-esque in the flamboyance, something Albarn-like in the societal caricatures. “When I look in the mirror / Do I recognise myself?” Heyworth asks, again and again. Beneath the playful absurdity, there’s a chilling loneliness: Are we performing for the world or trying to find ourselves in it? Are we the monsters, or are we watching them from the wings?

Lyrically, ''Creatures'' is a study in storytelling through modern folklore. Heyworth filters lived experience through metaphor and myth—each track exploring identity in a different shade. “Narrowboat” speaks to emotional grounding and spiritual cycles. “Image of Roads” addresses the illusion of progress and the seduction of escape. “Creature Double Feature” dives into the performance of self, suggesting we’re all strange characters in our psychodramas. Taken together, the EP reflects on how we navigate our place in a world that never stops shifting, internally and externally.

''Creatures'' is a triumphant return for Ben Heyworth, the artist, and the storytelling songwriter as a whole. It’s urban folk with a razor edge, nostalgic yet forward-looking, and unapologetically honest. There’s a maturity here that doesn't sacrifice curiosity, and a musical richness that rewards repeat listens. With just three songs, Heyworth manages to create a fully realised world—one where time moves like a canal current, illusions shimmer on the horizon, and strange creatures dance under neon skies. It's personal. It's poetic. And it’s one of the most quietly essential EPs of the year.

For more information, follow Ben Heyworth on Soundcloud, YouTube and Instagram.