Time to dust off that solid gold jumpsuit and feather your hair! ABBA is back! (You mean they are still alive?) The Swedish foursome has just recorded 2 new songs. They made this surprise announcement via Instagram because… 2018.
I dare anyone to listen to Dancing Queen without immediately singing along.
The group pledged to NEVER reunite and be on stage together again. But here we are. They reunited but won’t actually be on stage together. Their performance will be digital images of themselves from back in the day when they were at the height of their fame. So new music but same ole ABBA?
The timing seems appropriate as the world spotlight has started to shine brightly on all things Scandinavian. Besides the entire hygge craze, they have an entire word for getting drunk on the couch at home by yourself. Who doesn’t want to live that life?
They take care of their people from cradle to grave (hello free child care, post secondary education and health care). They believe in gender equality and encourage dads to stay home with their kids! (Stay at home dads are called Latte Papas. I know, right?!?!) Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland have gifted the world with so many wonderful things. Here are some of my favourites:
Some Assembly Required
It’s cheap. It’s minimalist. It’s stylish. And there are meatballs at the end of the rat maze they call the show room. (Seriously, you can reach your goal of 10,000 steps by just going to buy tealights at Ikea.) Raise your hand if you have a box of random leftover parts from Ikea furniture assembly.
Block Heads
Parents everywhere have peaceful households thanks to the never ended world of Minecraft. Sure, Microsoft bought them a bazillion dollars but the original creator is Swedish. Kind of makes up for those dang Danish Legos we keep stepping on.
Slow Tv
If you have not spent hours of your life watching a boat sail slowly down the Norwegian coast then have you really lived? It’s actually a thing. A thing that ran for 134 hours and had half the population of Norway tuning in. Don’t like boats? How about trains? Or yule logs? Or knitting? Hours upon hours of Slow TV can be found on Netflix and Britbox. Much better than watching the new, in my opinion.
Skarsgard brothers
God bless papa Stellen Skarsgard for gifting us with Alexander (Big Little Lies, Tarazn), Gustaf (Vikings, Westworld) and Bill (It).
Source I mean, WHAT?!?!
Real Life Vikings
We swoon over the pretend Vikings on tv but the real life ones are just as good.
Epsen Hatleskog is a Ragnar Lothbrok twin. He appeared as a Viking in a (Minnesota) Vikings promo. And his dog Fenris has his own Instragram account too!
Next, meet Lasse Matberg. The long hair. The statuesque height. And that physique! Oh ya, he’s a Seamen in the Navy too.
What is in the water over there?!?!?
Thank you, Scandinavia. You may be cold and dark most of the year. But you give us the greatest of things.
