Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid—in that order—are back to deliver us bops we truly don’t deserve. Swedish pop legends ABBA will release their first album since 1981's The Visitors. Their ninth studio album, Voyage, will set sail on November 5. The first two singles, “Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down,” are out today.
The super-trouper beams are gonna blind them once more as they perform with a 10-piece band at the ABBA Arena, a 3,000 capacity arena located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. But there’s a catch—they’ll be performing as de-aged holograms. The digital versions of ABBA were created after months of motion-capture and performance techniques with the four band members and an 850-person team from George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic. The first look at their digitization can be seen in the visual for “I Still Have Faith In You.”
“We simply call it Voyage and we’re truly sailing in uncharted waters. With the help of our younger selves, we travel into the future. It’s not easy to explain but then it hasn’t been done before,” Benny Anderson says. “It’s hard to say what’s been the most joyful thing for me with this project. If it’s the involvement in creating the concert together with everyone or being back in the studio together again after 40 years. I think hearing Frida and Agnetha singing again is hard to beat. When you come to the arena you will have the four of us together with an absolutely glorious 10-piece band. And even if not in the flesh, we will be right there, thanks to the work of the creative team and ILM.”
Following The Visitors release in 1981, ABBA effectively disbanded in 1982. The quartet first teased their reformation and virtual tour in 2018, when it was just the two singles. All we’ve got to say is: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
“When we got back together in the studio I had no idea what to expect... But Benny’s recording studio is such a friendly and safe environment, and before I knew it I was really enjoying myself!” Agnetha Fältskog says. “I can hardly believe that finally, the moment has come to share this with the world!”
Here’s the full tracklist for Voyage:
01 I Still Have Faith in You
02 When You Danced With Me
03 Little Things
04 Don’t Shut Me Down
05 Just a Notion
06 I Can Be That Woman
07 Keep an Eye on Dan
08 Bumblebee
09 No Doubt About It
10 Ode to Freedom