Words By: Miki Hellerbach

“Confused” is an exploration of the complexity of young love and the worry that it occasionally accentuates.

“What if I tell ya I don’t need ya, after needin’ ya? I got you confused.”

A succinctly sung question in a hook that sounds like it feels is one of music’s great wonders and assets. In semi-recent history, think James Blake’s “Are You Even Real?” or Nao’s “Do you want me, do you want me now?” from her 2016 song “dywm”. On the hook of Stamford, Connecticut bred crooner Kevin George’s new single “Confused”, he rattles off 4 sung questions before landing on the final one mentioned above and comes to his confused conclusion. George makes an effective tactic his own in the style of a stream of consciousness. His potent yearning delivery and staggered yet smooth vocal rhythm encompassing young love’s worry.

While on first listen the context of where George ends up can sound like an ego-filled toxic flex, when you listen closer, his concern with his reality and how it will affect his lover reads sincere. “Confused” becomes a contemporary anxious ballad that even at slightly over two minutes long sums up the entirety of George’s desire filled unsettled mind. Surrounding George’s rumination is a cacophony of synths, sparse drums, and a distant broad and high pitched vocal sample. The soundscape produced by Chris B. lifts George like a crowd surfer by a sea of adoring fans, letting him float across the melodies with full support. 

After George sings the title word in an ethereal falsetto for the last two times, he propels the track into a quick and effective pop string section to close. This seems to signify that young love is really just about playing different strings to see what sound they make. One must go back and forth with one’s desires to find where they lie. All you can hope for is empathy and understanding for those you develop feelings for, making the experiences as fulfilling as possible even when they get hard.  

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