Tension II
Tension II is the seventeenth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG and Minogue's company Darenote released it on 18 October 2024 in various digital, physical, and streaming formats. It is a sequel to her sixteenth studio album, Tension, and is described as the "high-energy, high-octane" companion to its predecessor. Unlike her previous records, Tension II features several new producers and collaborators, as well as returning collaborators Duck Blackwell, Richard "Biff" Stannard, Peter "Lostboy" Rycroft, and Ina Wroldsen.
Tension II is a dance-pop and electropop album that includes elements of club, disco, and synth-pop music, and the lyrics cover topics such as having fun, love, lust, envy, flirting, loneliness, and fashion. Furthermore, some reviewers said the album's sound and production were similar to Tension and her fifteenth album, Disco. Before its release, "My Oh My" featuring Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo, as well as three other collaborative singles were released: "Dance Alone" with Sia, "Midnight Ride" with Orville Peck and Diplo, and "Edge of Saturday Night" with The Blessed Madonna.
Tension II received praise from most music critics. Reviewers praised its danceable nature and Minogue's attitude throughout the record, with some claiming it was superior to Tension and one of her best offerings. Few were ambivalent about the collaborative efforts and the album's lack of catchy material. "Lights Camera Action" is the album's lead single, released on 27 September 2024. The Tension Tour, promoting both records, began in Perth in February 2025 and travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and the United Kingdom, with additional appearances in South America.
Background
On 22 September 2023, Minogue released Tension, her sixteenth studio album, following Disco in 2020. Upon its release, it received universal acclaim from music critics for its production quality as well as Minogue's personality and delivery throughout the album, with many publications naming it one of the best records of the year and one of Minogue's best works to date. Commercially, it was a success, reaching number one on various record charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To promote the album, she released three singles, including "Padam Padam" and the title track, both of which were critical and commercial successes, generating viral sensation and cultural significance. In January 2024, Variety reported that Tension would be repackaged and released later that year. The following month, Minogue hinted at working on new music during an interview at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, where she received her second Grammy this time for Grammy Award for Best Pop Dance Recording for "Padam Padam".Concept and development
Minogue had no intention of making a new record initially and instead planned to expand on her previous album with new material. However, after evaluating several songs that did not appear on Tension and later having the opportunity to work with new producers and writers for Tension II, she decided to scrap the repackage of Tension in favour of creating a new record. At the beginning of 2024, she was featured on several collaborations, including "Dance Alone" with Australian singer Sia and "Midnight Ride" with South African artist Orville Peck and American producer Diplo. In July, Minogue confirmed she was working on new music, and teased a potential live comeback in the United Kingdom. On 8 July, Minogue teased new music on social media with the acronym "MOM," which turned out to be her single "My Oh My", with American singer Bebe Rexha and Swedish singer Tove Lo. It also inspired the Gemini zodiac aesthetic of the album cover and title for Tension II. She later released "Edge of Saturday Night", which features British-American DJ the Blessed Madonna. Minogue teased an announcement on her social media on 18 September, and one day later, she revealed Tension II, its release formats, the lead single "Lights Camera Action", and the announcement of her Tension Tour. Additionally, it is Minogue's first sequel project.Tension II features all of Minogue's collaborations from 2024. Certain songs, such as "Edge of Saturday Night" with the Blessed Madonna, were originally conceived in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Originally, the song was a collaboration with British singer Raye, who is listed as a co-songwriter. However, due to other release commitments, she did not appear in the final recording, and the track was handed over to Minogue. The Blessed Madonna describes the track as "about edges", saying "When I sat down to write lyrics for the very first time, I was on the edge of a brand new life. When I programmed and wrote the music that would become this song, I was on the edge of the next big leap into producing." Furthermore, the Blessed Madonna stated, "It’s fitting that this song is about an equally important edge in my life. It was a morning that magically turned into night." Minogue described it as one of the more difficult songs to record, referring to multiple takes before reaching the final version. Minogue appears as an engineer on the majority of the tracks, and songs such as "Taboo" and "Someone for Me" were recorded in hotel rooms, with the latter in Mexico.
Music and songs
Tension II is a dance-pop and electronic album that includes elements of club, disco, electropop, pop, and synth-pop music. It is marketed as the "high-energy, high-octane" version of Tension, with additional "dance floor anthems" and a more electronic-driven sound. Critics compared it to work on Tension and Minogue's fifteenth album Disco, and noted similarities to the production and sound of Minogue's single "Padam Padam". According to Robbin Murray of Clash, the album "leans on the club energies of the original, while steering them into different places," whereas Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine described the sound as "propulsive electro-pop and breezy synth-pop", which mirrors Tension. According to Joe Muggs of The Arts Desk, the album is primarily made up of "fizzy dancefloor pumpers," while Quentin Harrison of The Line of Best Fit believes it "maintains the uptempo dance-pop persuasion of its forerunner." Forbes writer Chris Malone Mendez described the album as "packed with dance-pop outings of various tempos designed for any kind of party". Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung noted the album's mix of "disco anthems, EDM stompers, electropop, and a touch of the 80s". Lyrically, the album explores themes such as having fun, love, lust, envy, flirting, loneliness and fashion. Minogue stated that based on feedback she received about the material on Tension II, she described it as more "energetic" than its predecessor.The album opens with "Lights Camera Action", which is a "high-energy" club-inspired electronic and Eurodance track with "raving synths" and "hard strutting beats" that lasts two minutes and 42 seconds and has been compared to her work on Tension. Minogue named "Taboo" as one of her favourite songs on the album, and critics compared its disco elements and string arrangements to those of Swedish group ABBA, as well as songs like "Hung Up" by Madonna and "Toxic" by Britney Spears. It was also praised for its use of the French phrase "un, deux, trois" and lyrical references to desiring someone who is off limits. "Someone for Me" is influenced by 1990s dance-pop, disco, and house music, with elements of Ibiza and Balearic beat and instrumentation. Lyrically, the song discusses feeling happy for someone who is in a relationship while also wanting one for yourself. "Good as Gone" is a Balearic house and disco track with string arrangements and heavy basslines, as well as a cappella sections that discuss heartbreak. "Kiss Bang Bang" is a Europop and pop song with heavy synths and processed vocals that has been compared to "Padam Padam". "Diamonds" is influenced by disco and pop music, with a pulsing bassline throughout the arrangement. "Hello" is an outtake from Tensions original sessions that has been reworked into an electropop, electronica, and synth-pop track with lyrics that express sexuality and thematically describe a bootycall.
"Dance to the Music" is a disco track with funk and electropop elements, as well as thick basslines and processed vocals; musically, it has been compared to Minogue's work on Disco. "Shoulda Left Ya" is a slower ballad that incorporates elements of dance, electronic, and country-pop influences while discussing heavy emotions and regret. "Edge of Saturday Night" with The Blessed Madonna has a different arrangement and sound from the original mix; the song begins with a piano house and transitions to a 1990s-influenced electronic and house beat with heavy bass. "My Oh My" with Rexha and Lo is a dance-pop song with club elements that pays homage to the "unmistakable Kylie 'la la la' refrain, a thumping bass line" and "playful lyrics," later adding that it is "destined to be a summer dance floor favourite." Lyrically, it is about flirtation, with each singer using their astrological sign throughout the lyrics to introduce themselves in a playful manner to a potential lover. "Midnight Ride" combines Peck's country music with Minogue's disco music, featuring a "EDM festival-core whistle refrain" and "mechanical guitar chugs throughout". The album's closing track, "Dance Alone" with Sia, is a pop and disco number that has been compared to Minogue's work on Tension and Disco.
Release and packaging
Tension II received a wide release on 18 October 2024 by BMG and Darenote, and serves as her fourth output with both labels. The album includes 13 songs, four of which were previously released, as well as nine unreleased songs. Tension II was distributed in a variety of physical formats and bundles via Minogue's official store and outlets, including a digisleeve with a 12-page booklet, a clear and turquoise-coloured gatefold vinyl, a yellow-coloured vinyl, and a coral-coloured cassette; early bundles included signed artwork. The standard tracklist differs from the vinyl and cassette versions, with minor changes to song placement. Prior to its release, Minogue held listening events for the album in Singapore, New York City, and Atlanta. Visualisers for each of the non-singles were made available on Minogue's YouTube channel on the day of release. Minogue released extended versions of the album's tracks on her website for a limited time.Studio Moross handled the album's promotional shoots, while Charlotte Rutherford photographed the album cover with creative direction from Aries Moross. It features Minogue standing in the centre of a crystallized Gemini symbol, with the album title at the top and her name at the bottom. Three additional limited edition covers were released on her website and were laminated in rainbow foil. In an interview with Hits Radio, Minogue compared the album cover to the artwork of her eighth studio album Fever, stating, "I was actually on a moving swing with ropes In getting that picture, there was a lot of tension to deal with To me, the album cover looks a little bit a throwback to Fever, it's like the grown-up sister or something". The title is a direct follow-up to Tension and a loose reference to Minogue's astrological sign Gemini, stating, "It could have been called Intention, More Tension, Hypertension, Extension, who knows! But Tension II just made sense, and the symbol of the two is the Gemini symbol."