We’re back to relative normalcy after a couple of weeks of charity releases. If you’re wondering, the “Times Like These” cover drops straight from 1 to 9. The Michael Ball / Tom Moore track, which was number 1 two weeks ago, dropped to 21 last week, and is now out of the top 100 altogether – as I said at the time, it’s a “join in the moment” record, not a “listen to this for pleasure” record. Instead, this week we have the refreshing normalcy of…

1 Drake – “Toosie Slide”
10. Drake featuring Giveon – “Chicago Freestyle”
17. Drake featuring Playboi Carti – “Pain 1993”

Yes, that’s right, Drake has released an album, “Dark Lane Mix Tapes”, which enters the album chart at number 1. Officially it’s a mixtape, and for once there’s a vaguely decent reason for not classifying it as a proper album: “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” is basically a dumping ground for material which has previously appeared on Soundcloud or shown up randomly on the internet, rounded out with a few new tracks. Which is to say, it’s basically a rarities compilation (which has received middling reviews at best), and it’s still entered the album chart at number 1, maxing out its permitted three tracks on the singles chart.

This is Drake’s sixth number 1 single (if you count his guest appearance on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” way back in 2010, six years before the others). It’s his third number one album, all of which were paired with a simultaneous number one single. That puts him in elite company – it’s not that unusual to have simultaneous number one singles and album, but only ten artists have done it three times, and it’s a impressive list: Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Madonna, Queen, Cliff Richard, Abba, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

“Toosie Slide” has been in the top five for four weeks already. “Chicago Freestyle” does actually have a video (linked above), but for some reason it’s done as a medley with another track that isn’t charting at all. “Pain 1993” is just an album track. It’s the first top 40 credit for Giveon (a Californian singer) and Playboi Carti (though he did get an album to number 27 in 2018).

2. Doja Cat – “Say So”

This track started climbing from the lower reaches at the start of the year, and it’s been on the top 40 for 13 weeks previously. It seemed to have maxed out, spending nine weeks hovering between 7 and 10, but now it vaults to number 2 after the release of a remix with Nicki Minaj. Which is interesting, because she hasn’t had that much of a impact on the singles chart in a while. Since it’s only a remix, she doesn’t get an official credit on the chart record for it.

Further down, the top 10 sees a huge shake-up, presumably thanks to a bunch of older records hitting the point where they get downweighted and cleared aside. Number 3 is “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion, climbing from 22 and far and away her biggest UK hit. More gently, “Death Bed” by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee edges up from 5 to 4. “Rockstar” by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch climbs 27-6 to become DaBaby’s biggest hit (overtaking his guest appearance on Camillla Cabello’s “My Oh My”, which only got to 13). “Rover” by S1mba featuring DTG climbs 13-7.

8. AJ Tracey featuring Mostack – “Dinner Guest”

Another one for the lockdown video shoot file, then. AJ Tracey and Mostack previously appeared together on a Steel Banglez single, “Fashion Week”, which got to number 7 last year, and also on “Floss”, a less notable AJ single that peaked at 22.

The sample is from “Push the Feeling On” by the Nightcrawlers – specifically the MK remix, but that’s the one that was actually promoted in the UK, and that reached number 3 in 1995. It bears almost no resemblance whatsoever to the 1992 original, being essentially an unrelated record that happens to use some cut-up vocal samples from the track. Presumably it kept the Nightcrawlers’ artist credit for legal reasons.

Outside the top 10, it’s much, much quieter. “If the World was Ending” by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels climbs 25-16. “This City” by Sam Fischer climbs 31-24. “Don’t Need Love” by 220 Kid & Gracey climbs 38-28. “Kings & Queens” by Ava Max climbs 39-33.

On the album chart: we’ve already had “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” by Drake at number 1. Oddly, “The New Abnormal” by the Strokes – which entered at number 3 two weeks ago and then crashed straight out of the top 75 – re-enters at 4. That’s apparently because of the delayed release of the vinyl format. Isn’t the album market looking healthy?

There are a grand total of two other new entries on the album chart this week – though this does happen from time to time anyway, so I wouldn’t read too much into it.

11. Yxng Bane – “Quarantine – The Lost Files”

It’s a half hour mixtape, and despite the title, the video above doesn’t particularly look as if it was filmed during lockdown. Yxng Bane hasn’t actually had a hit single in his own right since 2018 (though he did guest on a Roddy Ricch single last spring), and his previous mixtape “HBK” only got to 36.

12. Tide Lines – “Eye of the Storm”

Scottish vaguely folky rock band. This is their second album; 2017’s “Dreams We Never Lost” didn’t chart. It’s the sort of thing that would have been very big on Scottish local radio when I was at school.