Kylie Minogue, “Tension.”`

Kylie Minogue shows no desire to slow down on Tension.

Her her 16th studio album, and first since 2020’s Disco, stays in the club but drastically jumps a few decades forward. Rich in synths and heavy dance beats, this album delivers, in Minogue’s own words, “a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic highs.”

It is both futuristic in its approach and nostalgic, sure to give listeners flashbacks to her Aphrodite and Fever eras; the electro-pop she’s previously perfected.

Opener “Padam Padam” sets the tone; mimicking a heartbeat. Minogue takes it a step further on the following song, “Hold Onto Now,” with a super-charged bass line and ethereal synths as she reassures us that “we can keep dancing forever.”

The pop icon has for years been setting the bar for catchy hooks. The album’s Euro-dance title track is no exception. 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.

Other tracks like “Things We Do For Love” and “You Still Get Me High” are ear-worms that dial in on an ’80s synth-pop sound, slowing down for the verses and building momentum for the dance break during the chorus.

“Maybe it’s the moonlight/ You still get me high,” she chants on the latter. The lyrics are fitting for this album, which is very much about being in love. And this song is about the what we will do to hold onto it.

“Hands” is softer and has the same feel of Doja Cat’s “Say So,” while “Green Light” (not a Lorde cover but borrowing the same “Great Gatsby” theme) is no-less emotive and soulful, sax solo and all, showing producers Biff Stannard’s and Duck Blackwell’s versatility at combining various sounds and giving them life.

Tension doesn’t stay mellow for long, with club banger “Vegas High,” on which Minogue pines for a wild adventure with a lover.

“Touching the heavens, oh yeah, we’re raising hell/ Open to everything like we’re energy, feel it coming over me/ Chasing Madonna on the horizon/ We’re gonna find one in the light,” she sings.

The 10th track, “10 Out of 10” features Dutch DJ and producer Oliver Heldens and blends the synth pop prevalent on the record with ’90s house influences. Heldens’ stilted vocals give the song an entirely different vibe after it starts off on-brand.

The closing song, “Story,” is an anthem that at times comes across as something by Marina Diamandis or Robyn—two artists who undoubtedly look up to Kylie Minogue. It’ll without a doubt leave long-time Minogue fans crying in the club. On this love letter both to herself and her fans, she serenades listeners in impressively high octaves and harmonies about turning a page and accepting the future, as well as ourselves, with open arms.

“Turn another page/ Baby take the stage/ You know the stars are callin’ for ya,” she sings, as a euphoric synth ebbs and flows. There’s no deep story on Tension, but the album doesn’t suffer for it. It’s purely joyous and alluring.

Follow writer Vera Maksymiuk at Twitter.com/veramaksymiuk.