However, the race to Friday’s final whistle remains incredibly tight. Smith is locked in a fierce chart battle with American pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, whose latest record, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, clinched the peak position last week. Rodrigo currently sits closely behind Smith in the second position, threatening to reclaim the summit with her immense streaming numbers before the weekly tracking window closes.
Meanwhile, further down the Top 5 standings, veteran alternative rock duo Placebo are eyeing their eighth career Top 10 accolade. Their latest release, Placebo RE:CREATED, enters the midweek chart at Number 4. If the record holds its position, it will mark Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal’s second highest-charting project to date, sitting just behind their 2022 release Never Let Me Go, which peaked at Number 3.
Right behind them, Essex-based husband-and-wife blues duo When Rivers Meet are tracking toward their second Top 5 album, with Rhythm, Rust & Static currently sitting at Number 5. Michael Jackson’s The Essential rounds out the current midweek Top 5 at Number 3.
The wider chart landscape sees several significant returns. Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa is targeting his 18th Top 40 entry, with The Spirit of Rory Live From Cork debuting at Number 10. Indie rock band Hard-Fi are also eyeing a return to the main standings; their first studio album in 15 years, Sweating Someone Else’s Fever, is hovering just outside the top tier at Number 14. Additionally, dynamic Scottish folk outfit Tide Lines are pursuing a fourth Top 40 entry with 10, sitting at Number 30.
