“You requested me to not depart, properly right here I’m once more” • Popjustice

If there’s one factor price bringing Popjustice out of semi-hiatus for it is the long-awaited return of an iconic, platinum-selling four-piece pop jug­ger­naut whose acronymised title alone can scale back grown adults to tears. However sufficient about JLS, whose new single is out in the present day, and let’s discuss ABBA.

Particularly, let’s say:

• Of the 2 new songs, Do not Shut Me Down is THE ONE. 
• The very best pop songs are sometimes about one factor (eg a rela­tion­ship) and one other factor (eg a band making a comeback). Do not Shut Me Down is about that one factor and that different factor, but it surely’s additionally a couple of third factor: a popstar returning as a spooky infinite digital pop entity.
• There was a second on the finish of the launch occasion final night time when Do not Shut Me Down had simply began enjoying and Benny and Bjorn had been making their manner from the stage to the again of the room. Benny stopped for a second and when the beat dropped (do beats drop in ABBA songs? Let’s go along with it) Benny turned to the room and mimed the piano swoop. As he did that he smiled, and as he smiled, he and I made eye contact. I am nonetheless computing all of it to be sincere however proper now it appears like probably the most imply­ing­ful second I’ve exper­i­enced in 25 years of loitering round popstars. 
• Shortly after that I used to be intro­duced to Ludvig Andersson, the producer of the brand new present (amongst different issues), and I requested him if as soon as the digital ABBAtar issues had been created, it will be potential to amend them for particular events, as an illustration chucking Santa hats on the band for Christmas exhibits. “In concept sure,” he mentioned, “however…” “However principally no,” I provided. “No,” he agreed. And that was that.
• Attention-grabbing to notice following my latest tweet about whether or not Voyage is professional­nounced ‘voyage’ or ‘voyage’, it is really professional­nounced ‘voyage’.
• A number of years again, earlier than any of this present stuff was introduced, I used to be pondering of doing a web site referred to as JUST ONE SONG: a petition, of kinds, request­ing only one extra ABBA track, and laying out the explanations this could occur, and may occur with minimal rigmarole for the band’s members. It will have included a reas­sur­ance that the band would not must do any press, or touring, or media stuff. Maybe B and B have made an identical reas­sur­ance to A and A. Both manner, ten new songs is abso­lutely supreme. 
• Ten new songs!
• TEN!
• Perhaps I lack ima­gin­a­tion however after I was con­sid­er­ing what the band’s first press shot may appear to be — and there is been loads of time to think about it, provided that new music was first introduced a number of years in the past — one look I did not think about was Tron: The Gameshow. But right here we’re. What a time to be alive.
• ‘What a time to be alive’ is kind of a robust expres­sion on this context is not it? Loads has occurred in forty years and I can not be the one one in the present day pondering of all of the individuals who liked this band and are not round in the present day to listen to these new songs. How fortunate all of us are, in so many various methods, to listen to this music.
• No person’s making a lot of the truth that one of many ten new songs is named Preserve An Eye On Dan. Who’s Dan? What’s he enjoying at? Why can he not be trusted? For those who suppose you could be Dan, please step ahead.