Finally, a musical reunion that’s actually surprising: After 35 years, Swedish foursome ABBA is back to gift the world with more deceptively straightforward, infectiously ebullient disco-pop, as The Guardian reports.
All four members of the group are part of the reunion, which has already resulted in two new songs, including one called “I Still Have Faith in You.” That won’t be out until December, when it’ll be released in conjunction with what Rolling Stone calls a “groundbreaking venture that will utilize the very latest in digital and virtual-reality technology”—in short, a tour featuring digital versions of the band members de-aged to look like they did in 1979, when ABBA embarked on its last tour. It will also debut as part of a two-hour TV special set to air on NBC and the BBC. “The sound will be familiar, but also modern,” a spokesperson cryptically tells the BBC.
That same spokesperson says that, while the members of ABBA—composed of two divorced couples—were able to tolerate each other in the studio, they’ll never tour together again. “No, you can not expect them to join forces on stage again,” she says. “They will not do that.” That’s consistent with statements made by ABBA members since their breakup in 1982; not even a rumored $1 billion offer for a worldwide reunion tour in 2000 could get them back together. For fans of the band, it’s a minor miracle, in other words.