Music Review: ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ Reunion Disappoints

Like the Eagles’ 1994 reconciliation tour, the reunion of Swedish pop sensation ABBA was a highly anticipated affair. Thanks to Mamma Mia!, my generation, notoriously a pessimistic and troubled lot, had been known to find euphoric escape in the songs at karaoke bars, college house parties, and in the depths of TikTok. Many weary, deflated souls, craving a spark of jubilance after a tumultuous year, hoped that the sequel would reinvigorate them. Following its long hiatus, the quartet, wrinkled and weathered from elapsed time, prepared a seemingly competitive comeback. Presenting a virtual holographic performance and celestial graphic design, the band teased a journey into uncharted territory with Voyage.

Catching their big break after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, an international songwriting competition in which they debuted “Waterloo,” ABBA invented a spunky musical style, complete with glam rock-infused costumes, that was a smorgasbord of techno, pop, disco, folk, and other genres. With incandescent, surround-sound harmonies, electric accompaniments, and unforgettable refrains (as in “SOS” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimmie!”), the original repertoire represented sublime craftsmanship, and it maintained its staying power decades after the ensemble’s retirement. However, while we must give the band credit for trying to be innovative long past their heyday, Voyage fails to build on ABBA’s legacy.

About the Author

Caroline Downey

Caroline Downey is a staff writer for National Review.

Like the Eagles’ 1994 reconciliation tour, the reunion of Swedish pop sensation ABBA was a highly anticipated affair. Thanks to Mamma Mia!, my generation, notoriously a pessimistic and troubled lot, had been known to find euphoric escape in the songs at karaoke bars, college house parties, and in the depths of TikTok. Many weary, deflated souls, craving a spark of jubilance after a tumultuous year, hoped that the sequel would reinvigorate them. Following its long hiatus, the quartet, wrinkled and weathered from elapsed time, prepared a seemingly competitive comeback. Presenting a virtual holographic performance and celestial graphic design, the band teased a journey into uncharted territory with Voyage.

Catching their big break after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, an international songwriting competition in which they debuted “Waterloo,” ABBA invented a spunky musical style, complete with glam rock-infused costumes, that was a smorgasbord of techno, pop, disco, folk, and other genres. With incandescent, surround-sound harmonies, electric accompaniments, and unforgettable refrains (as in “SOS” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimmie!”), the original repertoire represented sublime craftsmanship, and it maintained its staying power decades after the ensemble’s retirement. However, while we must give the band credit for trying to be innovative long past their heyday, Voyage fails to build on ABBA’s legacy.