“You requested me to not go away, 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 at the moment, and let’s discuss ABBA.

Particularly, let’s say:

• Of the 2 new songs, Do not Shut Me Down is THE ONE. 
• The most effective 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, nevertheless it’s additionally a few 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 taking part in and Benny and Bjorn had been making their method 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 together 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 seems 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 could be doable to amend them for particular events, as an illustration chucking Santa hats on the band for Christmas reveals. “In principle sure,” he stated, “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 truly 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 types, request­ing only one extra ABBA tune, and laying out the explanations this could occur, and might 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 method, ten new songs is abso­lutely very best. 
• Ten new songs!
• TEN!
• Possibly I lack ima­gin­a­tion however after I was con­sid­er­ing what the band’s first press shot would possibly appear like — and there is been loads of time to contemplate it, on condition that new music was first introduced a couple of years in the past — one look I did not take into account was Tron: The Gameshow. But right here we’re. What a time to be alive.
• ‘What a time to be alive’ is sort of a robust expres­sion on this context is not it? So much has occurred in forty years and I can not be the one one at the moment pondering of all of the individuals who cherished this band and are not round at the moment to listen to these new songs. How fortunate all of us are, in so many alternative methods, to listen to this music.
• No person’s making a lot of the truth that one of many ten new songs is known as Preserve An Eye On Dan. Who’s Dan? What’s he taking part in at? Why can he not be trusted? When you suppose you is perhaps Dan, please step ahead.