ABBA: VOYAGE

Nobody really believed it would come to pass yet after almost forty years, the Swedish pop super-group, ABBA have reunited to release new music. This legendary band, made up of Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid ("Frida") Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus, have come back together for their ninth studio album which will be called "Voyage". The upcoming ten-track record (which is due out in November) makes one wonder what will ABBA in the 21st century sound like?

With two songs recently released, the answer is: exactly how ABBA has always sounded. "I Still Have Faith in You", a classic power-ballad lead by Frida, is a song about maintaining friendship in a relationship long after heartbreak and disappointment. And Agnetha takes us on the band's outre version of dance-pop with "Don't Shut Me Down".  Perhaps the rest of the album will feature an unexpected surprise or two. But maybe not. After all this time, there is no reason for ABBA to alter what has worked for them as their unique sound has been emulated by countless pop musicians ever since their heyday.

And to add to this exciting news, ABBA has announced that they will embark on a residency at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London beginning in May 2022. The ABBA Voyage concert will feature the musicians, who are all now in their 70's, performing as virtual avatars, depicting the group as they appeared back in 1979 with a live 10-piece band. I'm not sure how well this will actually work but it should certainly be interesting. In the meantime, have a listen to the the two new songs by ABBA: