A year-and-a-bit after the release of Kylie Minogue’s 16th album Tension, it’s increasingly obvious that the project was hamstrung by the summer-slaying, TikTok-conquering success of its lead single, “Padam Padam”. This Kylie banger to end all Kylie bangers was such a high point that the album couldn’t possibly compete and was received as a bit of a damp squib. But what was Kylie to do? Decline to capitalise on one of the best songs of her career because it risked eclipsing its companion record? There was no simple answer. She was Padamned if she did, Padamned if she didn’t.
Now comes a follow-up that feels like its spiritual successor. Building on the momentum of Kylie’s blockbusting 18 months, the album’s official name is Tension II – but better to think of it as 13 tracks that crackle with the same footloose energy – if not the levels of pop perfection – as “Padam Padam”.
That they’re not quite as bitingly brilliant is no sin: Tension II is a fun excursion into a clubland fantasia where Kylie’s voice is warped into strange new shapes. It’s a full-on bevy of boppers and belters, with Kylie’s bottomless charisma fuelling the whole thing, from Dua Lipa-esque opener “Lights Camera Action” to sublime closer “Dance Alone”, a bittersweet collaboration with Sia.
Nobody sits down to a Kylie album expecting Adele-levels of vocal prowess. The real draw continues to be Minogue’s enthusiasm – she is still wide-eyed and eager after all these years – and that is the defining feature of Abba-go-garage romp “Taboo” and of “Hello”, which leapfrogs from Charli XCX hyper-pop to Kraftwerk-style vintage electronica when old-school synths turn up halfway through.
The final four numbers are get-togethers with other artists already released in different forms and are a reminder of Kylie’s underappreciated talent as a collaborator. If there’s nothing here as fantastically cheesy as her Jason Donovan power ballad “Especially for You”, the Blessed Madonna happy house epic “Edge of Saturday Night” brings the wow factor, while Stetson-wearing indie enigma Orville Peck comes galloping through on “Midnight Ride” and anoints Kylie as a new queen of alt-country.
It’s one among many thrilling moments that banish memories of the lukewarm original Tension and confirm this continuation as first among sequels to last year’s fated summer hit.
Stream: “Hello”, “Midnight Ride”
