Album Review: Die Antwoord | Ten$ion

Die Antwoord are no cakewalk–they’re more like a hayride on the highway. They’re all over the place and everyone’s scared. Like a cross between Twista and Lords of Acid, DJ Hi-Tek creates a beat-heavy playground for the vocals of Ninja (who reminds me of Egon Schiele) and Yo-Landi Vi$$er on their sophomore album Ten$ion (out now on ZEF Recordz). The single “I Fink U Freeky” is straight-up rap and rave music, perfect for glow sticks. I kinda love the video too, though I have a soft spot for “Fatty Boom Boom,” which could just as easily be called “Tempest of the Kewpie Doll” with Yo-Landi’s ear-shattering, high-pitched voice. That song almost makes me shimmy right off the subway platform. Overall, Ten$ion just misses the emotional fervor of “Evil Boy” and the titanic cojones of “Rich Bitch” from the first album, but it definitely shuffles into uncharted, more fucked-up territories. 

-Whitney Dwire