Following the announcement of the return of Abba, two new singles of the Swedish pop band give a foretaste of the upcoming album “Voyage”. The reactions to the new music are mostly positive.
London – The surprising comeback of the Swedish cult band Abba caused a sensation worldwide. The fact that Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have announced a new album (“Voyage”) with the original line-up after around 40 years is thrilling fans and the media.
The two new songs “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”, released on Thursday, were mostly well received. “An emotional, really brilliant comeback”, praised the Swedish newspaper “Expressen”. But there were also a few critical voices.
“The magic is still there – with a bittersweet disco beat,” wrote the British Times. “It sounds exactly like Abba, but with a lifetime of experience.” Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad actually only wanted to take a break in 1982 without knowing how long it would be before Abba stand together in the studio again.
“It’s so powerful to hear Agnetha and Anni-Frid sing together after 40 years” I Still Have Faith In You “, enthused the Guardian,” and the seductive, cheeky “Don’t Shut Me Down” is even even better. ”The singles are“ fine-tuned ”to trigger emotions -“ unless you have always been immune to Abba’s charm, then these songs will not soften your cold heart ”.
Andersson and Ulvaeus had presented the new songs together with plans for a virtual concert show that can be seen in London next year. “The Super Troupers are doing what they do best again: rousing, high-class pop music,” summed up the “Daily Mail” afterwards. “Thank you for the new music!”
The renowned music critic Per Sinding Larsen, who is a kind of pop authority in Sweden, expressed his enthusiasm. “There are not many who compete with Abba in this league,” he told the “Göteborgs Posten”. He praised the fact that the band did not try to follow current trends, but stayed true to their sound. “I think it sounds surprisingly good,” says Sinding Larsen, who sees potential for new world hits: “Yes, I actually think so.”
Musician colleagues also reacted happily to the hitmaker’s comeback. The US rocker Gene Simmons shared the announcement of new Abba music on Twitter with a short “Yay !!!”. The singer and bassist of the hard rock band Kiss has long been an avowed Abba fan. Cult director and composer John Carpenter (73, “Halloween”) tweeted: “You sound incredible. The new songs are pure Abba. I feel like I’m 28 again! “
The newspaper “Telegraph”, on the other hand, was less euphoric about the comeback. “It may be the most longed-for reunion in pop history, but Abba’s comeback single is something of a blown gun,” wrote the paper. “The album has to get a lot better so that the loyalty (of the fans) is rewarded.”
The newspaper “The I” admitted that – despite all the enthusiasm – the new songs cannot quite keep up with great classics like “Fernando”, “Waterloo” or “Dancing Queen”. “But the sheer joy of making music is evident in both songs, as it always was, even at Abba’s lows. Abba are really back. ”The ten-song album“ Voyage ”will be released on November 5th. dpa
