Continuing the rapid turnover, here’s the fourth new number one in as many weeks.

1. Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red”

The last few number ones were all tracks that had been stuck behind “Sprinter” for ages. “Paint the Town Red” isn’t exactly new – it entered at number 20 four weeks ago – but it’s newer, and might have a reasonable shot of lasting longer.  It’s Doja Cat’s first number one; her previous best was number 2 for her debut hit “Say So” in 2020. The original sample, Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By”, only got to number 9 in 1964.

For the highest new entry, we have to go down to the bottom end of the top 20.

19. Kylie Minogue – “Tension”

This is the follow-up to “Padam Padam”, which unexpectedly returned Kylie Minogue to the top 40 for the first time in 5 years, and to the top 10 for the first time in over a decade. It’s her 53rd top 40 hit, coming more than 35 years after her debut hit. The single itself is fine, but it doesn’t feel like it stands out in the same way as its predecessor.

20. Kenya Grace – “Strangers”

Debut hit. She was born in South Africa and she’s based in London. This is pretty good, and I can easily see it going further.

35. Jazzy – “Feel It”

This is the follow-up to “Giving Me”, which reached number 3 and is still on the chart at number 37. “Feel It” has been out for five weeks by this point, so it’s been struggling to get the same momentum, but it does at least give her a second solo hit.

And that’s it for new entries this week. This week’s climbers:

• “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift climbs 4-2 – it’s been on the chart since June when it got reactivated virally. It could realistically be the next number one.
• “Desire” by Calvin Harris & Sam Smith has now moved 18-12-9-8-7-6.
• “Prada” by cässo x Raye x D-Block Europe climbs 8-7.
• “Adore U” by Fred Again.. climbs 13-9 to become his first top ten hit as an artist.
• “Asking” by Sonny Fodera & M.K. featuring Clementine Douglas climbs 20-14.
• “So Much In Love” by D.O.D.  climbs 18-15, having reached its previous peak of 16 three weeks ago.
• “Rush” by Troye Sivan rebounds from 33 to match its entry point of 22 from 7 weeks ago, after the release of a new mix.
• “Bittersweet Goodbye” by Issey Cross climbs 28-23.
• “Fast Car” by Luke Combs climbs 34-40.

The three tracks leaving the top 40 are:

• “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, which had a brief run in the low 30s as a re-entry.
• “Unhealthy” by Anne-Marie & Shania Twain, which got to a surprisingly respectable 18.
• “Pakistan” by D-Block Europe & Clavish, which peaked in the top 10.

“Miracle” by Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding is still the longest running track in the top 40, with 26 weeks and counting. It’s currently at number 33.

On the album chart…

1. Royal Blood – “Back to the Water Below”

Their fourth album, their fourth number one. The video above is very Radiohead indeed.

6. Slowdive – “Everything is Alive”

Slowdive have never been close to the top 10 before. In their original run, their only album to make the top 40 was “Just for a Day”, which reached number 32 in 1991. Their 2017 self-titled comeback reached number 16. Even allowing for the fact that it’s a very quiet week on the album chart, that’s pretty remarkable at this stage in their career.

30. Sigur Rós – “Atta”

It’s been 10 years since the last Sigur Rós album, “Kveikur” (though they did release an orchestral album, “Odin’s Raven Magic”, in 2020). “Kveikur” reached number 9. Its predecessor also made the top 10, and the one before that, “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust” (“With a Buzz in our Ears We Play Endlessly”) was their chart peak, reaching number 5. So number 30 for a comeback in a dead week is… quite bad, really.