Mixed Messages (song)

"Mixed Messages" is a song by Australian musical comedian Tom Cardy, released on 30 July 2021 as his debut single and the lead single from his debut EP Artificial Intelligence. The song was written, recorded, and produced solely by Cardy. "Mixed Messages" ranked at No. 17 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2021, becoming Cardy's debut appearance on the countdown.

For other songs of the same name, see Mixed Messages (disambiguation).

"Mixed Messages"
Single by Tom Cardy
from the EP Artificial Intelligence
Released30 July 2021
Recorded2021
StudioTom Cardy's home studio
(Sydney, Australia)
Genre
Length2:24
Songwriter(s)Tom Cardy
Producer(s)Tom Cardy

Background and release

"Mixed Messages" was debuted on TikTok,[1] and released officially on 30 July 2021.[2]

Recording

"Mixed Messages" was recorded in July 2021 in Cardy's home studio during the creation of his debut EP Artificial Intelligence.[3]

Composition

"Mixed Messages" is a comedy song rooted in electropop which discusses themes including "non-sequiturs [and] negging" and makes references to "kicking puppies and punching parents".[4] Triple J's Al Newstead summarised the song as discussing "the relatable feeling of awkward attempts to text your crush [that spirals] into a silly ode to brutalising dad genitalia."[5] It is written in the key of E♭ major with a tempo of 111 beats per minute.[6]

Critical reception

Triple J's Al Newstead cited "Mixed Messages" as "the perfect example" of Cardy's "knack for heightening insightful social observations with gleeful absurdism".[5] Joe Briscoe of David Reviews was favourable towards "Mixed Messages" and its accompanying music video, writing that "it's hard not to laugh at what [Cardy] and Antali have created". He commended the song for bringing comedy music "[into] the spotlight with new vigour".[4]

Music video

The animated music video for "Mixed Messages", directed and animated by Gabriella Antali,[4] was released alongside the single on 30 July 2021.[7] Joe Briscoe of David Reviews praised Antali's animation, saying it "[uses] an old-school comic book style to capture facial expressions and movement in all their characterful, frustrating glory". He continued by saying the video elevated "the song's quirky humour with well-observed details (an unflattering reflection in a phone screen is particularly amusing), building to the surreal twist which is thankfully rendered via euphemistic eggplant".[4]

Personnel

As shown in the liner notes of Artificial Intelligence, the song was created and performed solely by Cardy.[8]

Chart performance

"Mixed Messages" ranked at No. 17 on Triple J's public voted Hottest 100 of 2021, becoming Cardy's debut Hottest 100 appearance.[5]

Rankings for "Mixed Messages"
Work List Rank Ref.
Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of 2021 17 [9]

References
  1. Cardy, Tom [@tomycardy] (30 July 2021). "Mixed Messages- Official video Incredible video by @GalooGameLady live on Spotify! Give us a follow (Twitter cut off the end of this shiz, check out the full vid on Y-tube" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. "Mixed Messages – Single by Tom Cardy on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. "This Aussie hitmaker going viral is sure to lift your spirits up". The Music. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. Briscoe, Joe (5 January 2022). "Tom Cardy: Mixed Messages". David Reviews. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  5. Newstead, Al (22 January 2022). "How Tom Cardy, TikTok musical comedy star, cracked the Hottest 100". Triple J. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  6. "Mixed Messages by Tom Cardy Key and BPM". SongData. 6 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  7. "Mixed Messages (Official video)". Tom Cardy. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via YouTube.
  8. Artificial Intelligence (booklet). Tom Cardy. Tom Cardy. 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Gwee, Karen (22 January 2022). "triple j Hottest 100 of 2021: here are all the songs in the countdown". NME Australia. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
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