Fontaines D.C. are pushing hard to claim their second No. 1 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart with their fifth studio effort, Dopamine Chamber. The acclaimed Irish post-punk quintet are on track to mirror the triumph of 2022’s Skinty Fia and secure the top spot again. Their formidable chart résumé already features Top 10 entries for Dogrel (2019), A Hero’s Death (2020), and Romance (2024).
Trailing Fontaines D.C., Olivia Rodrigo remains at No. 2 with You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In, while Michael Jackson’s The Essential collection sits at No. 3. Croydon-born singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri is also pursuing her career-best album, with her second release, I Think I Spoke Too Soon, targeting a No. 4 debut.
Classic reissues are shaping the upper portion of the chart this week. Northern Irish alternative-rock band Ash are on track for a Top 5 return, landing at No. 5 as their 1977 landmark LP marks three decades with a double vinyl edition. Tears For Fears are climbing as well, with 1989’s The Seeds Of Love at No. 6 after a deluxe CD re-release.
Further down the midweek list, emerging British talent Nieve Ella appears poised to score her first full-length Top 10 entry with How Long Will It Take? at No. 9, closely followed by country musician Zach Bryan’s new EP Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs, at No. 10. Former Fairport Convention guitarist Richard Thompson sits near the upper ranks at No. 12 with Hippies, Thugs and Heroes.
Completing the new arrivals, Australian electronic outfit The Avalanches are targeting a fourth Top 40 showing with No Bad Memories at No. 21, while Eels pace toward No. 34 with Cookie Happened. In addition, special vinyl releases issued for National Album Day have pushed back into the charts enduring works by Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, and George Michael.
