Tension (song)

"Tension" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG Rights Management and Minogue's company, Darenote, released it as the second single from her sixteenth studio album, Tension (2023), on 31 August 2023, both digitally and physically. Minogue co-wrote the song with Anya Jones, Camille Purrell, Jon Green, and producers Duck Blackwell and Richard "Biff" Stannard, long-time collaborators of Minogue's works. Minogue wrote it after finishing several songs in Surrey, and A&R Jamie Nelson introduced it to Purcell and Jones to further complete it.

"Tension" features a variety of electronic dance sounds, including dance-pop, house music, and electro-pop. Lyrically, the song is about sexual attraction to a partner, and it is considered one of Minogue's most experimental and edgier compositions. Music critics gave "Tension" mostly positive reviews, with many praising the sound and production quality. At the same time, some publications praised Minogue's experimental composition as a high point of her musical career. Since its release, it has appeared on year-end lists by Genius and Rolling Stone India.

Commercially, the song peaked in the top twenty on the UK Singles Chart and the top fifty on the Australian Singles Chart. Elsewhere, it charted in Croatia, Ireland, and Latvia, and had component charts in New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Latin America, and the United States. British filmmaker Sophie Muller directed a music video for the song, which featured various caricatures of Minogue on a neo-futuristic set. Since its release, Minogue has performed the song at a number of events and it has become a notable track within the LGBT community.

Writing and production
Minogue wrote "Tension" with Anya Jones, Camille Purcell (known as Kamille), Jon Green, and producers Duck Blackwell and Richard "Biff" Stannard, the previous being a longtime collaborator. Minogue's decision to collaborate with Jones and Purcell came after she spent a week in Surrey working on new music with Blackwell, Green, Stannard, and Minogue's A&R Jamie Nelson; Nelson had proposed the idea to Minogue. According to Minogue, working with the two provided her with the "female energy" she required for the parent album. Throughout the recording process, she mentioned how Purcell helped her gain confidence in the lyrics they wrote, especially the line "Call me Kylie-ay-ay".

Purcell said of her collaboration with Minogue, "She was a household name for me and my family, I think it was just part of my DNA, knowing her name and her music." Although initially intimidated, Purcell began to relax around Minogue, and by the end of the day, she and Jones, as well as Minogue and her long-time collaborators, had finished writing two songs: "Tension" and "Things We Do for Love", the latter serving as the album's third track. Minogue described the original demo as "out of place", calling the lyrics "edgy", the processed vocals "more exaggerated", and the sound "very deep club".

Composition
"Tension" lasts three minutes and 37 seconds and includes a variety of electronic dance sounds such as dance-pop, house music, and electro-pop. The song is written in the key of F major. According to Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit, the song, like Minogue's previous single, "Padam Padam", contains lyrical references to sex. Franzini used the line, "Oh my God, touch me right there", as an example, but also suggested that the sex theme from the parent album is present throughout.

According to Ky Stewart's Junkee review, the song lyrics are "about finding your inner sexual desire and freeing your body, a message Kylie's long advocated for". Liberty Dunworth, writing for NME, described the song as a "dance-inspired track" that showcases "Minogue channelling inspiration from both '90s house music and '00s club classics." Stereogums James Rettig described "Tension" as a "twitchily smooth dance song" that, unlike the previous single, "Padam Padam," lacks "meme-inducing hooks".

Slant Magazines Alexa Camp described "Tension" as "the most forward-thinking track on the new album", comparing it to material from 2007's X. Pitchfork writer Harry Tafoya described the track's vibe as "silly", observing Minogue "vamping through pounding piano house to deliver some truly ridiculous lyrics". Riff editor Vera Maksymiuk commented on the song's eurodance sound, saying, "It plays with the formula a bit, using a variety of synth sounds and other electronic production. The sweet melodic verses are paired with a hard and punchy hook, recalling the dance music of the last couple of decades." Similarly, Guy Oddy of The Arts Desk described it as "trancey Euro-house cracker with an infectious piano riff".

Release
BMG Rights Management and Darenote, Minogue's company, released "Tension" on 31 August 2023. It is the second single from Minogue's sixteenth studio album of the same name. Prior to its release, Minogue teased the song on social media. The single's cover artwork, created by Studio Moross, was inspired by the video shoot and features five silhouettes of Minogue in various poses, all in green hue. It was initially available as a digital download from the parent album with additional remixes afterwards. "Tension" was eventually released in three formats: two CD singles with an extended version of the track and alternate artwork, and a cassette tape. A vinyl was later distributed on 8 December.

Critical response and impact
"Tension" received positive reviews from music critics. Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called the song "sensual" and thought it had "another chorus for the ages", while Michael Cragg of Clash called it "playful". DIY writer Otis Robison chose "Tension" as an album highlight while reviewing its parent album, calling it "euphoric". Similarly, Harry Tafoya of Pitchfork highlighted "Tension" and the album track "Padam Padam" as standouts, stating, "Both songs land on the right side of silly-serious and wield sledgehammer-subtle choruses with the feverish commitment required to make a hook like "Call me Kylie-lie-lie/Don't imitate-tate-tate/Cool like sorbet-et-et" feel ecstatic rather than clunky."

Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp wrote, "Only Tensions title track, with its digitally enhanced vocal hook, veers into territory that could be described as experimental." Kitty Empire of The Guardian described the song as "another dancefloor come-hither - but here, the coy sound of heartbeats is replaced by fruitier lines such as "touch me right there"." Retropop characterised it as "an equally sensual electro-pop stormer, underpinned by pulsing beats [...]". The Sydney Morning Herald's Annabel Ross thought the song and "Padam Padam" "rival[ed] for catchiness and sex positivity as Minogue, alternating between helium vocals and a robotic deadpan, coos "touch me right there" over clubby beats." "

Vera Maksymiuk of Riff Magazine wrote, "It plays with the formula a bit, using a variety of synth sounds and other electronic production. The sweet melodic verses are paired with a hard and punchy hook, recalling the dance music of the last couple of decades."

Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters praised the track's inclusion on its parent album, writing, "The song also showcases just how accomplished Minogue is as a vocalist [...] The song’s inherent queerness means that Minogue dials the camp factor way up, and she slides into a stylized, near-scat that shows off a surprisingly supple and impressive range." David Smyth of the Evening Standard, on the other hand, had a mixed reaction, describing the track alongside other album tracks as "just fine".

Several publications and the LGBT community anticipated "Tension" following the viral success of the song's predecessor "Padam Padam". Beth Ashley of PinkNews highlighted the song's viral phenomenon of internet memes created on social media and commented, "To say that "Tension" has sent LGBTQ+ fans into a frenzy would be an understatement [...]" The Australian Broadcasting Corporation agreed, stating that "Tension" is "already a crowd-pleaser with the Kylie Minogue faithful".

Commercial performance
"Tension" experienced moderate commercial success. In Australia, it spent one week at number 46 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In addition, it reached number three on the Top 20 Australian Singles Chart and number 19 on the New Music Singles Chart. In New Zealand, it missed the regional singles chart but debuted at number 10 on the Hot Singles Chart, Minogue's second top ten after her 2021 single "Real Groove". In Ireland, the song peaked at number 36 on the national singles chart. In the United Kingdom, the song topped three charts: Singles Sales, Singles Downloads, and Physical Singles. On the regional singles chart, it debuted at number 19 as the week's highest new entry and best-seller, becoming Minogue's 53rd Top 40 single in the country.

In Latvia, the song peaked at number eight on the European Hit Radio charts. It also had moderate success charting in Croatia and on component charts in Germany, Italy, and Malta. In North America, "Tension" did not chart on the Canadian Hot 100, but it did reach number 47 on the Billboard Canadian Digital Songs Chart for one week. In the United States, it reached number 18 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart and topped the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart during the week of 16 September 2023. In South America, the song reached number 15 on Monitor Latino's English-language charts in Guatemala, number 12 in Colombia, and number 2 in Nicaragua.

Music video and promotion
To promote "Tension", a music video for the song was directed by British filmmaker and long-time collaborator Sophie Muller. The music video debuted on Minogue's YouTube channel on 1 September 2023, one day after the song's release. The video begins with Minogue entering a futuristic neon-lit outpost. Inside, she discovers a hologram of Minogue wearing a different outfit, dancing and lip-syncing to the song. Throughout the video, Minogue is seen wearing a black outfit inside a control room. Another scene features two caricatures of Minogue on a table, with another of her dressed as a showgirl dancing on it. The video ends with Kylie "multiplying into many forms in an electrifying crescendo [...] exit[ing] the world with energy still visibly buzzing in and out of her body", as described by Metro.

Bradley Stern, editor of MuuMuse, reviewed the music video and described it as her "most bizarre, self-referential video in a long time, surely". He added, "Think "Did it Again" alter egos, a splash of the "Come Into My World" MCU (Minogue Cinematic Universe), a bit of "GBI: German Bold Italic" experimentalism and Fever-era futurism, mixed with Dr. Who, a dash of The Fifth Element-and the Moulin Rouge green fairy, for good measure." Kitty Chrisp of Metro praised the video, saying it is "set to be bold, beautiful, and full of Kylie's trademark pop-playfulness".

Minogue has made a few live appearances to promote "Tension". A week before the album's release, Minogue and Tears For Fears co-headlined Radio 2 in the Park in Victoria Park, Leicester. She headlined the second night of the festival, closing it out with "Padam Padam" and the album track "Hold on to Now". Kylie appeared at Lio London for the 2023 London Fashion Week launch, performing "Tension" and "Padam Padam" from her album. Minogue performed "Tension" as part of a free, limited-time concert at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on 27 September 2023.

Formats and track listing
Digital download / streaming
 * 1) "Tension" – 3:36
 * 2) "Padam Padam" – 2:46

CD and cassette single
 * 1) "Tension" – 3:36
 * 2) "Tension" (extended mix) – 4:40

Digital download (via Kylie.com)
 * 1) "Tension" (extended mix) - 4:40

The Remixes – digital EP
 * 1) "Tension" (Chromeo Remix) - 4:06
 * 2) "Tension" (George Reid Remix) – 3:06
 * 3) "Tension" (KDA Remix) – 3:15
 * 4) "Tension" (Shadow Child Remix) – 3:36
 * 5) "Tension" – 3:36

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tension.

Locations
 * Recorded at Surrey Pool House, Surrey, UK; Infinite Disco Studio, Paris.

Personnel
 * Kylie Minogue – lead vocals, writing, additional engineering
 * Kamille – writing
 * Anya Jones – writing
 * Duck Blackwell – writing, production
 * Biff Stannard – writing, production
 * Jon Green – writing,
 * Dick Beetham – mastering
 * Guy Massey – mixing