Everyone under the sun has released an album this week. And quite a few people have released singles too. Deep breath…

1. 24KGoldn featuring Iann Dior – “Mood”

Three weeks. “WAP” is still at number 2, but there are some possible challengers a little further down. Number 3 is “Lemonade” by Internet Money featuring Don Tolliver, Gunna & NAV, climbing from 5. “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae climbs 9-7. “What You Know About Love” by Pop Smoke climbs 14-9, to become his third top ten hit (all of which have come since July).

11. D-Block Europe featuring Aitch – “Holy”

Well, you know what you’re getting with D-Block Europe – essentially the same thing every time. Still, they’re such a consistent presence in the singles chart that there’s clearly an audience out there that wants to hear a lot of variations on this theme. This has one of their better choruses, but god, it’s past time for them to stretch their wings a bit.

This is their highest chart position – their previous best was number 16, which they’ve reached three times. The obvious difference here is Aitch, who has four top ten hits and brings in another audience. It’s not his best work, though.

Number 17 is “Lasting Lover” by Sigala & James Arthur, climbing 1.

21. Shawn Mendes – “Wonder”

The title track (and lead single) from his upcoming fourth album. It’s been a little over a year since we last heard from Shawn Mendes, duetting with Camila Cabello on the number one “Senorita”. It’s a bit of a slow start, but he’s climbed from lower positions than this. Goes for “epic” in a big way towards the end.

22. Wes Nelson & Hardy Caprio – “See Nobody”

Wes Nelson was a contestant on Love Island two years ago, which isn’t the most promising pedigree. But this is unexpectedly decent; it’s not a novelty cash-in, and to be honest it’s comfortably above average. Hardy Caprio has had hits before; we last saw him in spring 2019 when “Guten Tag” reached number 19. That remains his highest placing single.

24. Bryson Tiller featuring Drake – “Outta Time”
28. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin featuring Drake – “Mr Right Now”

Bryson Tiller’s only previous top 40 hit in this country came as a guest on DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts”. That was a number 1 in 2017, so this record strikes his name off the one-hit-wonders list. “Wild Thoughts” also had a much bigger star on it: Rihanna. His second hit single also features a vastly bigger star, and plainly that’s a part of it. But let’s be fair – Drake guests on a lot of singles and plenty of them don’t chart. More to the point, Tiller’s previous album reached number 11, and this week’s “A N N I V E R S A R Y” enters the album chart at a respectable 12.

Also wheeling out Drake are 21 Savage and Metro Boomin, with a track from their album “Savage Mode II”, which enters this week at 2. 21 Savage has had a few scattered hits in this country, but the only significant one was as a guest on Post Malone’s number 1 “Rockstar” in 2017. Producer Metro Boomin gets his first artist credit on a top 40 hit.

Drake also has his own “Laugh Now Cry Later” single at number 15, and his guest shot on DJ Khaled’s “Popstar” is still at number 27. (The three-track limit doesn’t apply to guest appearances.)

30. Dua Lipa – “Levitating”

This had a week at number 39 back in August, in a different mix that featured Madonna and Missy Elliot. But it’s 2020, so the version that does better is this one, with an added verse by DaBaby. Technically the lead version is still the original album track, so it’s only Dua Lipa herself who gets a credit.

Number 32 is “Daisy” by Ashnikko, climbing from 34 – not much, but it’s hanging in there.

33. Ritt Momney – “Put Your Records On”

Ritt Momney used to be a school band from Salt Lake City, but it’s currently a pseudonym for sole remaining member Jake Rutter. Despite the ridiculous name, this is a straight (if lo-fi and self-consciously quirky) cover version of Corinne Bailey Rae’s biggest hit, which reached number 2 in 2006. It came out in the spring but it’s picked up traction on Tiktok.

38. Jorja Smith featuring Popcaan – “Come Over”

It’s been around a year since Jorja Smith’s last hit single “Be Honest”, which made the top 10 to become her biggest hit. Presumably this is the lead single from the next album. Popcaan has had a couple of guest-appearance hits before, but not in a while – he was on Melissa Steel’s “Kisses for Breakfast” (number 10 in 2014), and an Alunageorge single that managed a week at number 39 in 2016.

38. Miley Cyrus – “Heart of Glass”

This is a Miley Cyrus performance from the (virtual) iHeart Festival. Her proper current single “Midnight Sky” is spending its fourth week in the top 10. The original was Blondie’s first number 1 single, for four weeks in 1979.

40. Blackpink – “Lovesick Girls”

A track from their current album “The Album”, which enters the album chart at 2. Considering that “Kill This Love” only managed number 40 last year, they’re certainly on the rise. But they’re still struggling to really get traction in the singles chart – they can make the top 40 in the first week, but they’ve yet to release anything that sticks around. We’ve had a few K-pop singles recently that have lost some of their distinctiveness in a blatant bid for international success, and I think this strikes the balance a bit better.

On the album chart….

1 Queen & Adam Lambert – “Live Around the World”

Adam Lambert has been touring with the remaining members of Queen as their live singer for years now and this is the inevitable live album. It’s Queen’s tenth number one album, and their first since 1995 (which was the final studio album to feature Freddie Mercury’s vocals). Lambert’s stint in this role has generally been well received, which is an achievement in itself.

Number 2 is Blackpink, and we’ve had them.

3. Oasis – “What’s the Story Morning Glory”

25th anniversary vinyl reissue. This is a perennial, though – it never truly goes away, and it hasn’t dropped out of the top 100 since 2017. And that was only for a couple of weeks. In total, “What’s the Story” has spent 457 weeks in the top 100, including 10 weeks at number 1 and over a year in the top 10. Always preferred Blur myself.

4. Amanda Holden – “Songs From My Heart”

Amanda Holden is currently best known as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, and this is her first album, but she does have a background in musical theatre. Naturally, it’s the usual covers selection. The track above is the exception to that rule, but it’s got things like “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” on it.

5. Bon Jovi – “2020”

It’s been four years since Bon Jovi’s last studio album. This was originally due out earlier in the year, but they took advantage of the delay to add their thoughts on the Covid-19 lockdown (above). Bon Jovi haven’t missed the top 10 with a studio album since 1985, which is pretty impressive.

8. Melanie C – “Melanie C”

That’s the first time she’s placed an album in the top 10 since 2003 (and yes, she’s released albums since then, several of which missed the top 40). The single above isn’t bad, but it definitely feels like a dance record from several years ago.

9. Roger Waters – “Us + Them”

Live album. It’s his third top 10 album (fourth if you count the two editions of “Amused to Death” as separate albums).

Number 10 is 21 Savage & Metro Boomin.

11. Corey Taylor – “CMFT”

Debut solo album by the lead singer of Slipknot. More radio friendly than I’d expected.

Number 12 is the Bryson Tiller album.

14. Róisín Murphy – “Róisín Machine”

That’s her highest position for a solo album – the previous best was number 19, for 2015’s “Hairless Toys”. Her old duo Moloko had a number 3 album in 2003, though.

21. LANY – “Mama’s Boy”

“Los Angeles, New York”, you see. It’s their third album, but the first to even make the top 75 in the UK. Bear in mind this would doubtless have done better if released in a quiet week – it just misses a top 20 that contains eleven new entries.

25. Lana Del Rey – “Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass”

Lana Del Rey’s first five albums all went to number 1 or 2. But this is a spoken word album to accompany her poetry collection, so number 25 is really quite good. (There are no official videos I can embed for this.)

26. Working Men’s Club – “Working Men’s Club”

Debut album, and that is not what I expected a band called Working Men’s Club to sound like. I’ll have to listen to this one.

32. Dolly Parton – “A Holly Dolly Christmas”

ALREADY?!?!?

Dolly Parton placed a regular studio album at number 2 as recently as 2016, so it’s not a huge surprise that she can get a Christmas collection into the top 40. But in the first week of October?!

33. Robert Plant – “Digging Deep – Subterranea”

Compilation of his solo work. He did have a handful of solo hit singles, the biggest being this track – number 11 in 1983.

35. Sufjan Stevens – “The Ascension”

Number 35 is surprisingly low – his last studio album, in 2015, made the top 10. Maybe his audience isn’t up for electropop. Really good single, though.

38. The Bangles – “Gold”

The Bangles have released hits compilations before, and diminishing returns are to be expected. Still, it’s the first time they’ve been in the albums top 40 since 2011, which is something. The best known Bangles songs are really too obvious, so let’s have “Hazy Shade of Winter”, which reached number 11 in 1988.

39. Stone Foundation – “Is Love Enough”

And finally, a third top 40 album for Stone Foundation, though the positions are getting lower. The video’s uninspiring, but the track’s worth a play.