ABBA, the Swedish pop titans, are finally back, four decades after their last album, in one of the most eagerly anticipated musical comebacks in recent years.
After splitting up in 1982, Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog reformed this year. “ABBA: Voyage,” their latest album, was published on Friday and contains ten tunes. It is their first since 1981’s “The Visitors.”
For many fans, it’s safe to say absence does makes the heart grow fonder.”It’s ARRIVED with only 40 years delayed,” one fan tweeted, while another said: “HAPPY VOYAGE DAY!!!”
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“It’s no pop classic, but it has some beautiful ABBA flourishes. The voices are just beautiful – Benny & Björn have deliberately avoided using modern overly produced vocals, but some of the lyrics are twee. However, it’s polished, inoffensive and a grower. A fitting final farewell.” Another social media user commented.
However, there was considerable disagreement among music critics.
The Independent in the United Kingdom gave the album five stars, calling it “a triumphant album soaked with ABBA’s gung-ho uncoolness” that “delivers all the typical ABBA tastes.”
The album “falls between the temptation of nostalgia and the pull of the present day,” according to Pitchfork’s Ben Cardew.
Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield, on the other hand, declared: “This album would be a one-of-a-kind historic event even if the songs blew — but it’s vintage ABBA, on par with their classic 1970s run. It evokes the days when the Norse gods ruled the radio, combining two of the Seventies’ hottest trends: heartbreak and sequin-studded pantsuits.”