Sam Fender is cruising to a second No. 1 in the U.K. with Seventeen Going Under (Polydor), the British singer and songwriter’s sophomore album.
Fender’s young career has been going in the right direction. Early on, he won The BRITs Rising Star Award (previously known as the Critics’ Choice Award), and converted the hype when his debut album Hypersonic Missiles blasted to No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart in September 2019.
It’ll take a hypersonic missile to stop Seventeen Going Under from reaching its target.
It’s the outright leader on the midweek chart, and is outselling the rest of the Top 10 combined, according to the OCC.
Fender’s set has a lead of 20,000 chart sales over his closest competitor, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (OVO/Republic Records).
Also impacting the Official Chart Update is Trivium, whose tenth album In The Court of the Dragon (Roadrunner) swoops in at No. 3. If it holds its course, Dragon will give the U.S. metal band their second U.K. Top 10 and a peak entry.
Electronic artist James Blake could also net a career-best chart position with Friends That Break Your Heart (Polydor), new at No. 5.
Based on midweek data, fresh sets from Johnny Flynn (Lost In Cedar Wood at No. 11 via Transgressive) and We Are Scientists (Huffy at No. 15 via 100 Percent Records) are eying Top 20 debuts, while The Charlatans’ self-titled album starts at No. 17, powered by its first vinyl pressing in 20 years.
The Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, local time.
