WASHINGTON — Swedish supergroup ABBA are hoping to connect with a new generation with the release of their new album “Voyage” on Friday, a whopping 39 years after their last offering of new music.
“They say it’s foolhardy to wait more than 40 years between albums," the group joked in a statement in September.
The foursome behind such hits as “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance On Me” had hinted at what they sound like in 2021 with two new songs, the wistful ballad “I Still Have Faith In You” and the disco-ish “Don’t Shut Me Down,” with the lyrics: “Now you see another me/I've been reloaded.”
A virtual version of the band will begin a series of concerts in London on May 27.
The show will come 50 years after the founding of the group that consisted of two married couples for most of its existence, and whose name is an acronym of the first names of its members, Agnetha Fältskog, 71, Björn Ulvaeus, 76, Benny Andersson, 74, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75.
"When we got into the studio after 39 years it was like no time had passed...we had a great time," Benny Andersson said.
"I can hardly believe that finally, the moment has come to share this with the world," Agnetha Fältskog added.
Their music has remained ubiquitous in the decades since their breakup, in part because of the stage musical "Mamma Mia!" and the two films that followed it.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
