Photo Courtesy of Knoxville News Sentinel

ABBA released its ninth album, “Voyage,” on Friday, Nov. 5, fulfilling a much-anticipated reunion. Embodying the group’s usual upbeat, operatic melodies with new instrumentals, “Voyage” is truly unchartered territory. After the group went on break for an undetermined amount of time, ABBA announced a concert residency at Queen Elizabeth Park in London, featuring new “ABBAtar” holographs of the group at their prime. “Voyage” is a trip through memory lane, and yet as the group emphasized in an official YouTube video, they are truly experimental. 

Naturally, ABBA reaches new heights in crafting their grandiose tone in “Voyage,” and it reflects in the group’s current popularity. They remain one of Universal Music’s star artists, after a career of 385 million records sold worldwide.

The album begins with the light ballad “I Still Have Faith in You,” driven by inspirational lyrics that invoke a distinctly ABBA style, with tantalizing chord progressions complimented by signature instrumentals. 

ABBA has conveyed their point: They do “believe in you,” and while of course the sweetly sung “I Still Have Faith in You” doesn’t arouse the tone of previously high-intensity music the Swedes are known for, there’s still grounds for appreciation. “When You Danced with Me” also rings more sentimental, similar to the alternating emotions in songs like “Chiquitita,” or the more sorrowful tracks in “Thank You for the Music.” The album rotates between the highs and lows of ABBA’s style, sinking into somber tones and skyrocketing back into inspirational lyrics. 

“Little Things” is a perfect Christmas song, but the album refrains from picking up steam until “Don’t Shut Me Down.” The beginning’s folkloric elements dissolve into the angelic harmony of vocalists Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Yet, the operatic rock, a staple of ABBA’s normal sound doesn’t manifest until “No Doubt About It,” contrasts with the delicately classical “Bumblebee,” showing ABBA’s sporadic tendencies throughout “Voyage” and their discography. 

The album has a clear classical influence, but the piano and flute, coupled with synthesizers and guitar, blend the mass of instrumentals into the truly untouched genre. ABBA has proven they are masters of sound and lyrics, creating an intricate yet bold sound that remains iconic in pop culture. 

“Just A Notion” brings forth the romantic, bouncy and hopeful sound found in ABBA’s high-emotion melodies, which alternates from folk to classical throughout the album. ABBA’s staccato piano beat compliments their vocals perfectly, and the beginning of “I Can Be That Woman” perfectly blends it with the acoustics typical of the group. However, the ending of the album changed the course of “Voyage” from homage to experiment.  

The ending of “Voyage” showcases the album’s true complexity. “No Doubt It” blends the unlikely yet complementary sounds of banjo and guitar, but the following track, “Ode to Freedom,” creates a sense of ceremonious hopeful curiosity. 

The ending of “Voyage” leaves the listener with bittersweet feelings. ABBA is timeless, but its intent is to display gradations of contrast and harmony. 

“That’s why there is no ode to freedom / Truly worth remembering / I wish someone would write / An ode to freedom that we all could sing.”