When it comes to catchy pop songs, very few people can touch Kylie Minogue, and even after many decades in the industry, she keeps serving the best. “Tension” is the second single from Minogue’s sixteenth studio album of the same name. Following on the heels of her massively successful single, “Padam Padam,” “Tension” is here to keep us dancing long after the summer days are long gone. First previewed on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music show, the single was finally released on August 30, alongside a bizarre and futuristic music video that saw Minogue split into different versions.
“I’m a star babe-babe-babe / Do this all day-day-day / Cool like sorbet-bet-bet (Cool like sorbet-bet-bet),” she sings in the dance track, as she invites a lover to touch her “all night” and “right there.”
The break in the song in the chorus kind of makes you want to burst out robotic moves and just improvise from there. And what better way to break the tension than by just being yourself and letting loose on the dancefloor?
For the Sophie Muller-directed music video, the Queen of bigger-than-life productions did not hold back, as she donned several costumes that could be comparable to the sci-fi classic Blade Runner with its retro-futuristic aesthetic and avant-garde style. Some of the looks she spotted in the music video actually made her unrecognizable.
From platinum white hair and smokey eyes to rocking a bright red wig with bangs and a sparkly mini-dress, the music video made sure to include tiny moments that viewers can keep discovering even if they’ve watched it several times. For example, I didn’t notice that the most normal-looking Minogue (that is the one wearing the short pink gown) switched fingers before touching the giant shimmering Minogue the first round in. In a blink and you might miss a moment, the singer-songwriter flashed her famous derrière during a wild dance break.
Commenting on YouTube, one fan gave it the best praise anyone can leave for a song, writing, “Tension by Kylie Minogue isn’t just a song, it’s a cultural reset, it’s the oxygen you breathe, it’s a lifestyle, an escape from this cruel world, it’s art, a hug from a loved one, everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Minogue wrote the track with Anya Jones, KAMILLE, Jon Green, Richard “Biff” Stannard, and Duck Blackwell, with Stannard and Blackwell producing.
“This album is a blend of personal reflection, club abandon, and melancholic highs,” Minogue previously said of the upcoming album in a statement. “I felt so much freedom when I recorded it and hope you love it!”
