Although it first featured on their early 2009 album Temporary Pleasures, Simian Mobile Disco have re-released Cruel Intentions as a single. While re-releases often smack of laziness and greed, the all star cast of producers recruited by SMD reinvigorate the single which was relatively unheralded the first time around, giving the track the treatment it rightly deserves. The soaring vocals provided by Beth Ditto lie perfectly in this dance floor ready synth-fest, a definite change for The Gossip front woman; however, she appears more than comfortable in diva mode. Although Bristol producer Joker turns in a somewhat strained dub step rendition, the handy work of Greg Wilson and the elusive Maurice Fulton see both producers leave their inimitable marks.
Words: Paddy O’Mahoney
