U.K. CHARTS: A FIRST FOR THE LATHUMS

British indie band The Lathums have hit #1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with their debut set, How Beautiful Life Can Be (Island). Over on singles, Coldplay and BTS’ “My Universe” claims the biggest single week of download sales this year.

With The Lathums’ success, British bands have ruled the #1 spot on the Official Albums Chart for 11 of the 39 weeks in 2021, according to a BPI analysis. The return of guitar acts to the top of the charts has had an impact on bands breaking through; 2021 is on course to be the best year for new British groups in well over a decade, thanks to Top 10 albums from acts like The Snuts, Wolf Alice, Shame, Pale Waves and Easy Life.

Public Service Broadcasting charts at #2 today with Bright Magic (PIAS), followed by Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (Island), which drops to #3.

At #10, Natalie Imbruglia’s Firebird (BMG) is her first Top 10 in 14 years, while Angels & Airwaves’ Lifeforms (Rise Records) is new at #17. Nirvana’s Nevermind (Geffen) rebounds 40 places to #28 on its 30th anniversary.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” (Atlantic) holds at the top for a third week with 64k. It finished comfortably ahead of its closest competitor, “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” (EMI) by Elton John and Dua Lipa, at #2.

The highest new entry is the Coldplay and BTS single “My Universe” (Parlophone), which starts at #3 as the biggest seller in digital downloads and CDs, notching 27k in pure sales. Downloads account for 21.4k, making this the biggest single week for the format for a song this year.

Elsewhere, “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” (Chocolate City Music) by Nigerian artist CKay climbs five places to #4. Further down, Becky Hill and Topic’s “My Heart Goes (La Di Da)” (Polydor) climbs three places to #17.