ABBA, the classic 70’s band, produced their last album 40 years ago, so when rumors started this year about a new album, many fans were skeptical. After four decades, why would ABBA start to produce music? Would it still be popular, so many years later, after so much change in the music industry?

Even while not releasing new music, ABBA has become anything but irrelevant. Their hit Dancing Queen has over 600 million plays on Spotify, a platform founded only thirteen years ago. Mamma Mia! The Musical, performed in a jukebox style of ABBA’s most famous music, debuted on Broadway in the 90’s. Its movie adaptation was released in 2008 and was followed by a sequel in 2018. 

ABBA has remained a significant musical influence on the public during its years away from the recording studio, but the band was still largely considered retired. They amicably split up after their last album in 1979.

On September 2nd, despite all doubt, the band came out of hibernation to announce Voyage, their ninth and final album. Their Voyage singles, earned almost 50 million listens on Spotify in only a few weeks since their release. 

Leading up to the album the band released three singles in two batches. “Don’t Let Me Down and I Still Have Faith in You” came out with the announcement on September 2nd. On October 22nd, ABBA released “Just A Notion.” The final single was originally recorded in 1978 but never made it onto the album of the time, “Voulez-Vous.”

Then, on Friday, November 5th, ABBA released Voyage, an album that proves testament to the power of nostalgia and fan loyalty.

The first track, titled “I Still Have Faith in You,” serves as a message to fans. The members of ABBA speak to their listeners after four decades with a mixture of self doubt and confidence. 

“Do I have it in me? / I believe it is in there… We do have it in us / New spirit has arrived / The joy and the sorrow / We have a story and it survived” sings Anni-Frid Lyngstad, the final A in ABBA. Within the first song, the band reassures its fans that it has returned and is still worth loving and listening to.

ABBA honors the nostalgia long-time fans feel at hearing them sing again. “You’re just here for the music, that’s all, or could it be / You miss the good old times when you danced with me” they sing in “When You Danced with Me.” The new album reminisces on the romance and youthful freedom of their original music from an older, wiser lense while recognizing their long absence and their hope for reunion with their fans. 

“Just A Notion,” the fifth song in Voyage, sounds just like some of the band’s biggest hits, “Waterloo” and “SOS.” “No Doubt About It,” is perfect for their original albums. It is energetic, carries themes of romantic betrayal, and is easy to dance to.

The third track of the album, “Little Things,” is extremely reminiscent of their song “Slipping Through My Fingers,” originally released in 1981. The bond between “Little Things” and the next song, “Don’t Let Me Down” contrasts union and love with loneliness and abandonment, which reflects ABBA’s understanding of fans feeling deserted after the band stopped releasing music in the 80’s. 

The fourth track shifts from loss to empowerment, and empowers the listener to move on with the band to a new era.Some of the tracks, like “I Can Be That Woman,” have classic stories with more modern sounds.  The 40-year jump brings modern sounds and narratives into the new album, but these additions never damage the band’s authenticity and identity. Despite the members of the band now being in their 70’s, they sing like they did in their 30’s. The vocals still carry the accent iconic to ABBA’s original music. 

Most of the music swings with the same warm, playful instrumentals found in their older songs.  Track seven, “Keep An Eye on Dan,” bears the energy of older songs like “Under Attack” and “Voulez-Vous” but has a more late 80’s or early 2000’s sound than the other tracks.

Each of their songs sound different, yet match perfectly to their style. In a 2014 interview with the Guardian, ABBA guitar player Björn Ulvaeus was asked how the band formulated their style in their original albums. “What is that formula? It’s totally the opposite. We never repeated ourselves. We worked so hard to find different styles every time.”

Their endless creativity is evident in each of the ten tracks of Voyage.

The last line of the album is, “I wish someone would write an Ode to Freedom that we all could sing,” a testament to ABBA’s desire to regain touch with their fanbase as they begin their residency tour in London in 2022.

Throughout the album, ABBA plays with the heartstrings of memory, romance, longing, and loss. The main theme is undoubtedly nostalgia. The iconic band transports you back to a time when even CD’s were not yet invented. It was the grandparents of today’s youth that lived in the true era of ABBA.

After decades of popularity, Voyage is a fantastic way to finish the band’s career. It has songs that remind you of the past, or inspire your future, and music to which you can sing and dance or cry. Voyage is a musical masterpiece for every audience.