Tense received general acclaim from music critics, who commended the album's cohesive production and TVXQ's vocal performance.

[6] TVXQ called back their frequent collaborators to write and produce the project, such as Yoo Young-jin, Kenzie, and Hitchhiker.

In December 2013 the Korea Music Association webpage revealed the details of five new songs from the record, which included "Double Trouble", "Ten (10 Year)", "Always With You", "Your Man", and the lead single "Something", produced by Yoo Young-jin.

[7] On December 26 and 27, TVXQ held their two-day tenth anniversary concert, "Time Slip", at the Korea International Exhibition Center.

[9] When introducing their new album to their fans at the concerts, Max Changmin stated that he considered Tense to be their proudest record from their catalog.

Complementing its magical concept, a deck of collectible playing cards are also included in the album's packaging.

[14] With its focus on more mature music styles, the album steers away from TVXQ's usual electronic sound, opting for more acoustic backing.

[15] It is noted for being a major musical departure from TVXQ's earlier songs,[18] which had heavy R&B, rock, and hip hop attributes.

[22] On December 25, 2013, the intro page of TVXQ's official website was changed to a teaser photo for an upcoming album, which was announced to be called Tense.

In an interview with Oh My News, it was explained that Tense represented the phrases "anxiety", "tension", and "on the edge", signifying TVXQ unwavering collectiveness and strength in their performances and music throughout the years.

[24] On December 26, 2013, the day of TVXQ's tenth debut anniversary, a sixteen-second teaser trailer for the music video of "Something", the album's first lead single, began airing on television and other broadcast media around South Korea.

Their official Korean website was also uploaded with an image of the album's digital cover, which was a picture of a golden coin engraved with the silhouettes of the duo.

The image also included a message that thanked the fans for walking together with TVXQ in the past ten years.

[26] Teaser pictures of the duo smartly dressed in black and white checkered suits were released to Korean media agencies throughout the week, and on December 30, a highlight medley of the songs from the album was uploaded to their official YouTube channel.

[27] Their official Korean website was also updated with a new teaser photo,[28] and online pre-orders for the album were made available that same day.

[30] On December 31, the Japanese version of the "Something" teaser, which includes an extra ten seconds of footage, was uploaded to Avex Trax's official YouTube account.

On March 24, the duo held a 3.5 hour Korail tour with 180 fans to commemorate their tenth debut anniversary and promote the record.

[36] Sticking to acoustics rather than electronic sounds, Kwon Suk-jung of Tenasia commented that the album was more mature yet less ambitious than TVXQ's earlier releases.

[39] According to South Korea's Hanteo Album Charts, Tense sold over 73,100 physical copies on its first week of release, debuting at number one.