New album today after a 40-year hiatus

pop. The 40-year wait ended almost at midnight. Agnetha Fältskog (71), Björn Ulvaeus (76), Benny Andersson (75) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (76) are back with ABBA CD Voyage. 10 new songs full of lazy beauties (see review) and a confirmed number one.

reckless. “They say it would be reckless to wait 40 years for new music, but we decided to take a break in the spring of 1982, and now we’re doing it again. This is as strange as it is wonderful.”

turns out. The sudden revival was prompted by the new music show Voyage. After more than five years of preparatory work, ABBA will return to the stage as a cameo on May 27 in London. “Without the show, there would be no new songs. The work inspired us.”

Secret. Recordings began in Stockholm in 2018, in complete secrecy. “It was an absolute pleasure to finally be working together again,” enthused Annie Freed: “I am so glad we dared to take this step.”

Austria Voice Check: This is what the new ABBA looks like

criticism. Dancing Queen, Mayday, Super Trooper. ABBA was the huge factory in the 70’s and 80’s. Now things are much calmer, if not lazy to say. Voyage offers beautiful tunes (just an idea), but horribly few catchy tunes. Age clearly resonates: Retirees pop. The prequel songs I still believe in and don’t shut me down are still the best.