ABBA releasing new music for first time in 35 years

Here they go again!

Swedish pop group ABBA announced Friday that they had recently reunited in the studio to record their first new songs together in 35 years. “We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio,” the band said in statement posted on its official Facebook page and also on Instagram. “So we did. And it was like time had stood still and that we only had been away on a short holiday.”

In reality the group disbanded back in 1982, though have reunited, at least partially, on various projects over the years including stage musical-turned-blockbuster-movie Mamma Mia! (which is getting a sequel, arriving in theaters this summer) and their 50th anniversary appearance in June 2016, but this get-together is the first to yield new music. As they point out in the statement, two new songs were born of the reunion, including “I Still Have Faith In You” which will premiere digitally in a two-hour TV special produced by NBC and the BBC that aims to be broadcast in December.

The band announced back in October 2016 that they had teamed up with American Idol creator Simon Fuller for a digital experience that would utilize “previously unimagined” technology, including virtual reality, to bring the sound and feel of ABBA to a new generation of fans. “We’re inspired by the limitless possibilities of what the future holds and are loving being a part of creating something new and dramatic here – a time machine that captures the essence of who we were. And are,” said Benny Andersson in a statement at the time.

“We have come of age, but the song is new,” the group added in their statement on Friday. “And it feels good.”