It’s a fairly busy week for new releases. But at the top of the singles chart…

1. Dave & Central Cee – “Sprinter”

That’s seven weeks, which beats the six-week run of its immediate predecessor “Miracle”. It still need another three weeks to match Miley Cyrus’s ten-week run with “Flowers” earlier this year. We seem to be in an era where records either get 1-2 weeks at number 1, or stay there forever. Its sister tracks “UK Rap” and “Trojan Horse” are still clinging in there, at 33 and 40 respectively. It holds Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” at number 2 for a second week.

3. Jung Kook featuring Latto – “Seven”

This is the solo debut of BTS’s Jeon Jung-Kook, and it matches the peak of BTS’s biggest hits – “Dynamite”, “Butter”, and their appearance on Coldplay’s “My Universe”. Technically he was on a Charlie Puth single last year, but it only got to 41, so we can pretend it didn’t happen. Latto’s bit of the video is, um, something. It’s only her second hit, following “Big Energy” getting to 21 last year.

The top 10 also includes Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana” at number 6, and although she’s based in Germany rather than being part of the K-pop world, that means that the top 10 has two South Korean acts this week.

10. Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For”

From the soundtrack of the Barbie album. Yes, seriously. You do wonder what the kids who actually play with Barbie dolls make of all this, but since the film has a 12A certificate in the UK, I guess they won’t get the chance to be befuddled. There are three songs from the soundtrack on the top 40 this week, with Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” at 15 and Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice’s “Barbie World” at 20.

22. Troye Sivan – “Rush”

This is as high as Troye Sivan has ever been as a lead artist, though he’s made the top 10 with Lauv and the top 20 with Charli XCX. The video can’t hurt, but it’s a pretty good dance record in its own right; I can see this going further.

There is, apparently, an alternate official edit of this video for use in markets like Saudi Arabia, and I’m struggling to imagine what’s left.

23. J Hus featuring Naira Marley – “Militerian”
24. J Hus featuring Burna Boy – “Masculine”

Two tracks from J Hus’s album “Beautiful & Brutal Yard”, which enters the album chart at number 1. It’s his second number 1 album, following 2020’s “Big Conspiracy.” The main single “Who Told You” peaked at number 2 and is currently a 5 – but it’s got Drake on it, so it’s drawing in a different audience. “Militerian” is an official single with a video, but “Masculine” is just an album track.

Naira Marley gets his first hit – he’s Nigerian by birth but moved to London as a child. The name is a reference to Bob Marley but they’re not related.

25. Becky Hill and Chase & Status – “Disconnect”

Chase and Status! They haven’t had a top 40 hit since 2013! And yes, they have been active. Apparently it’s Becky Hill who’s now enough of a draw to get veterans into the chart

This week’s climbers:

• “Fukumean” by Gunna climbs 12-7 – technically his second top 10 hit, because he was a guest on Internet Money’s number 1 “Lemonade” in 2020.
• “Little Things” by Jorja Smith climbs 13-11.
• “Dance the Night (From Barbie The Album)” by Dua Lipa climbs 16-15.
• “So Much in Love” by D.O.D. climbs 24-17.
• “Barbie World From Barbie The Album” by Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice featuring Aqua climbs 28-20.
• “Talibans” by Byron Messia climbs 31-29 to enter the top 30 in its 7th week on chart.
• “Closer” by Bou featuring Slay climbs 39-34.
• “Relax My Eyes” by Abel Balder & ANOTR climbs 37-35.

There are seven records leaving the top 40 this week (due to six new entries, plus “Karma” by Taylor Swift re-entering at 32 as it becomes her third biggest track again):

• “As It Was” by Harry Styles, originally a number 1 in 2022, lasted 23 weeks in its second run, peaking at number 4.
• “Toxic Trait” by Stormzy featuring Fredo peaked at 11 and lasted three weeks.
• “Side Effects” by Becky Hill & Lewis Thompson was a re-entry at 40 last week.
• “Tattoo” by Loreen finally shuffles out of the chart after nine weeks, peaking at two – a very good performance for a Eurovision winner.
• “All My Life” by Lil Durk featuring J Cole peaked at 14.
• “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift got a single week at 15.
• “Satellite” by Harry Styles peaked at 18, making it decidedly a Lesser Harry Styles Hit.

On the album chart, number 1 is J Hus. And then…

6. Rita Ora – “You & I”

Not exactly prolific, Rita Ora is only on her third album but has already reached the stage of doing Fatboy Slim covers with Fatboy Slim. Her other albums were 2012’s “Ora” (number 1) and 2018’s “Phoenix” (number 11). No hit singles from this one.

11. Lauren Spencer-Smith – “Mirror”

Her debut album. It includes the single “Flowers”, which reached number 17 last year.

12. Gerry Cinnamon – “Live at Hampden Park”

The previous studio album was a number 1, but 12 is very good for a live album. And yes, the rest of the album does feature a full band.

25. Joel Corry – “Another Friday Night”

Basically a greatest hits collection of singles dating back to 2019. It’s his first album.

25. PVRIS – “Evergreen”

PVRIS used to be a band but is now the solo project of singer Lynn Gunn. The previous album reached 14, the one before that got to 4, so… diminishing. The single’s good, though.

26. Lil Tjay – “222”

His previous album got to number 7, so big drop here. The singles didn’t make the top 100.

31. Mahalia – “IRL”

Her second album. It’s a follow-up to 2019’s “Love & Compromise” which got to 28, so basically the same.

35. Brian May – “Star Fleet Project”

And finally, a reissue of Brian May’s 1983 mini-album, which reached number 35 on the album chart at the time. It’s basically a connection of instrumental jams plus, er, the track above – May’s cover of the closing theme to the English dub of the Japanese TV show X Bomber.