Released: 5 November 2021
ABBA return for one final ‘Voyage’ with their sublime first album in 40 years.
The group’s ninth LP opens with pre-release track I Still Have Faith in You, ABBA’s first since 1982 single Under Attack, picking up immediately from where the band left off.
The keys may have been lowered to accommodate Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s voices at 71 and 75, respectively, but as they declare, ‘We do have it in us / New spirit has arrived,’ it’s a comforting reassurance that all is well.
As an album, ‘Voyage’ is as varied as ABBA’s classic offerings, with the Irish-influenced When You Danced With Me segueing seamlessly into delicate Christmas ballad Little Things, into Don’t Shut Me Down – the group’s latest UK Top 10 and Swedish No. 1 single.
There’s something for everyone; for fans of upbeat ABBA,‘Voulez-Vous’ outtake Just a Notion and stadium-worthy No Doubt About It are sure-fire hits, while the tender I Can Be That Woman and Bumblebee showcase the beauty in Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ songwriting partnership.
Electronic number Keep an Eye on Dan is particularly brilliant, combining lyrics detailing a heart-wrenching child custody arrangement with a Goldfrapp-esque instrumental while closer Ode to Freedom stands alongside The Way Old Friends Do as one of ABBA’s all-time best.
If this truly is to be the final ABBA album, then it’s a welcome addition to their impeccable catalog and a fitting closing chapter in the tale of Sweden’s best-loved musical export.
But hearing the girls affirm, ‘This isn’t where it ends,’ with such conviction in the closing bars of No Doubt About It offers a glimmer of hope that, just perhaps, ABBA may still have a couple more songs in them.
‘Voyage’ is available on CD, vinyl and cassette.
