Confused!

On April 4, 2015, Cudi announced via Twitter, that he would soon be releasing a new album titled Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, prior to Man on the Moon III.[7] When speaking on the album in early July 2015, Cudi stated: "This album is 100% the purest form of my artistic self".[8] He also added: "I've ripped my heart out and carved it into tiny pieces of musical madness".[8] On August 6, 2015, Cudi dedicated the album to "everyone struggling with mental disorder all around the world."[9] On July 4, Cudi gave an update on the project, which he announced would be entirely self-produced (with some assistance from Plain Pat), as well as hinting towards a rock album, when he revealed there would be a complete absence of electronic sounds, as the instrumentals will consist entirely of his own guitar and bass playing.[10]

On July 4, 2015, Cudi announced a single for the album would be released "before the end of the month."[11][12] The single, titled "Confused!", was released on August 1, 2015.[5] On September 29, 2015, Cudi released the cover art for "Confused", which he designed himself.[13] On October 2, 2015, Cudi released two new songs, "Wedding Tux" and "Judgmental Cunt".[14][15][16] The songs were originally supposed to be released on iTunes, in a single pack, along with "Confused", however the iTunes release failed to materialize, forcing Cudi to release it via his official SoundCloud page.[17][18]

On January 5, 2016, Cudi released an acoustic version of the song via his official SoundCloud account, which he recorded in one take.[19][20] The original song was later included on Cudi’s first greatest hits album The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1 (2022).

Upon release, Dean Van Nguyen of NME, wrote "Featuring a heavy, grunge-like guitar riff, the track continues Cudi’s recent move away from his alt-hip-hop origins towards a more rock-orientated sound," referring to his 2012 collaborative effort WZRD, which was also a departure from his previous work.[21] David Jeffries of AllMusic noted "For outsiders, ‘Confused!’ is the track to pick, as it sticks in the head with the ‘Who am I? Who are we?/All I want is to feel complete’ chorus, and then resonates with ‘I hate the drugs but I love the numb.’"[22]

B.R. of the Urban Daily wrote "‘Confused!’ still finds Kid Cudi in his rock star lane, pushing his sobered, dry vocals over a simplistic chord progression. He’s still straying away from hip-hop, but this single is far more accessible than his work on Satellite Flight. ‘Confused’ is a personal track, too: ‘I hate the drugs but I love the numb/ I hate the gun but I want the sun.’"[23] Brennan Carley of Spin wrote "It’s much in line with the sound the rapper’s been carving out the past couple of years — drawling singing atop melancholic, head-in-hands melodies — but he sounds totally on his game here."[24]

Kid Cudi provided a live rendition of "Confused!" on August 1, 2015 during his set at the Lollapalooza music festival.[25][26]