Crazy P seem to have come along way since they dropped the 'enis' and became just Crazy P. Once upon a time that name felt like a lead weight around their necks and yet they have happily outgrown it, becoming one of the UK's more dependable cross-over acts.
'Heartbreaker' retains the sophisticated disco edge the band have always focused on and applies it to the sort of soft house sound they have gravitated towards over the years. It's a refined, soulful track, full of detail - whether it's the muted blues rock guitars, the sweeping strings, the melodic but melancholic New Order-style bass line or the tight, live percussion. It's difficult to hear this and not want to check out the latest album, When We On, from which this is lifted.
The label behind this release, 2020 Vision, selected the first remixer based on his ability to rock a party without sacrificing his deep and classic style. Its something Mark E manages to demonstrate with aplomb here. His mix turns this into a taught track full of nervous energy - the bass feeling cavernous and deep and each element cut into tiny snippets which are layered together to make something as haunting and beautiful as the original, but much heavier sounding. With gentle reverb and retaining parts of the original string section it gives the track another interesting twist on the post-punk meets disco sound it comes from.
The final mix comes from Huxley, who applies his trademark chunky house-meets-garage sound to the track. It's a stark yet elegantly achieved contrast captured on this record, those gentle soulful strings and the guitar work segueing into the harder, bass-orientated sections.
All three mixes here totally deliver in terms of quality and the overall package is varied enough to keep things very interesting. In other words, this is a release well worth checking out.
Heartbreaker Remixes is released through 2020 Vision on 10 December. Pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link] or preview the EP on Soundcloud below: