The race for the UK Official Albums Chart summit has intensified this week, with Gorillaz currently leading the charge. Their ninth studio album, The Mountain, is on track to become the virtual band’s third Number 1 record, potentially joining the ranks of 2005’s Demon Days and 2023’s Cracker Island. The project features a diverse roster of collaborators, including IDLES, Johnny Marr, and posthumous contributions from Bobby Womack and De La Soul’s David Jolicoeur.
However, the "summit" is far from settled. Fresh from his BRIT Award win for International Song of the Year, Bruno Mars sits at Number 2 with The Romantic. This nine-track release, featuring the Top 5 hit "I Just Might," represents Mars' strongest bid for a UK Number 1 album in fourteen years. Trailing closely at Number 3 is singer-songwriter Mitski, whose latest effort, Nothing’s About To Happen To Me, is currently pacing to become the highest-charting project of her career.
The midweeks also reflect a significant "BRITs bump" following last Saturday’s ceremony in Manchester. PinkPantheress sees Fancy That rocket back into the Top 10 at Number 6, aided by a new deluxe physical release. Similarly, Spanish superstar ROSALÍA is eyeing a return to the Top 20 with LUX at Number 18, following her visionary performance alongside Björk. Sam Fender, a double winner on the night, also looks set to see his chart-topping People Watching rebound into the Top 40.
Other notable contenders include BLACKPINK, whose EP DEADLINE is tracking for a Top 5 finish, and Paul McCartney, who could secure his 23rd solo Top 10 with the soundtrack to Man On The Run. Nostalgia is also playing a role; The 1975 are eyeing a Top 10 return with a tenth-anniversary reissue of I Love It When You Sleep..., while The Who could pierce the Top 40 with a high-fidelity audio version of the classic rock opera Quadrophenia.
