Exclusive review of unreleased EP by The Confused

The Confused- EP, ‘Press Play’. Released October 30, 2020.

Album review by Joslyn Danielson. Written October 19, 2020.

They’re back and more confused than ever! ‘The Confused’, a Minneapolis based band consisting of brothers Chad and Luke Hofland have refocused in 2020, adding two new members (Adam Johnson on keys and Jon Ross on drums). They will be releasing a new 5-track EP on October 30th, titled ‘Press Play’.

The collaboration is strong in this one. The funky hip-hop group, ‘Dr. Goon and the Daily Tribune’ plays a large part in the album, featuring sax solos by Andrew Tompten on ‘The Way You Move’, with Colin Peters laying down a 5 part vocal harmony over the bridge, as well as a rap featuring Dr. Goon himself (Ian McCarthy) in the first track, ‘Conflict’. Lastly the producer/recording engineer for the EP was Andy Colburn from the aforementioned group.

The two bands have a long history of friendship and collaboration, and their two styles came together very well for this album. While sticking to their roots in blues/funk, the new additions have brought in some psych rock and jazz elements, as well as high quality production value.

The tone of their music has naturally changed a bit with 2020. Previously quite funky and upbeat, The Confused taps into their darker side in this EP, a little angsty, a little raw, and even a little spooky. They seem to be moving away from the Ska genre, which was a more prominent influence in the band’s early days.

Chad really shows what he’s got with this record, belting out lead vocals while slappin’ bass lines. Some examples of this are in the title track, ‘Press Play’, and ‘Not Another Vice’. The strong bass line carries the momentum in both songs.

With bluesy guitar solos and funky strumming, Luke’s lead guitar shows a variety of styles that range from groovy funk, to dirty blues, to head-banging psychedelic rock (in the final track, ‘Letter to the Audience’). The brothers have clearly spent countless hours playing together, and it shows.

The new additions are the 70’s wailing organ keys of Adam Johnson, and the tight, jazzy drumming of Jon Ross. Both add to the full sound with reverberative effects and excellent rhythm; the makings of a bright future for the group.

Like most bands that came up in the age of the internet, The music of the Confused is essentially impossible to nail down to one genre, but it’s a pleasure to try. Blues, Funk, Ska, psych-rock, and you can even hear a little post-punk revival of the early 2000’s such as Arctic Monkeys and the Gorillaz. One could generally consider this EP groovy (with some spook!)

It’s obvious that The Confused puts on a remarkable live show, and the Twin Cities will be eagerly awaiting the time when we can see ‘Press Play’ live. In the meantime get down and dirty in your living room to this new, killer record.