Inhaler’s debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This heading for Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart

Plus Tom Odell is on course for the Top 5 with his new album Monsters.

Take a deep breath Inhaler fans – the Irish rock band are on course for Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart with their debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This.

The Dublin quartet lead today’s Official Chart Update by over 7,000 chart sales having racked up the most physical and download sales this past weekend. Should Inhaler hold onto the top spot by Friday’s final chart, they’ll become the third Irish group to top the albums chart in the last decade, following The Script and Westlife.

Last week’s Number 1 SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo is the most streamed album of the week so far placing at 2, while Muse album Origin of Symmetry is on track for a return to the Top 5 at 3 following its XX Anniversary RemiXX edition release. The revamped offering was released digitally last month, with its vinyl rollout occurring last Friday (July 9).

MORE: Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far

On course for a fourth consecutive Top 10 album this week is former BRITs Critics’ Choice winner Tom Odell with his first record for three years Monsters at Number 5. Also eyeing up a Top 10 slot this week at Number 9 are folk rock group Turin Breaks with a reissue of their 2001 debut album The Optimist which originally peaked at Number 27.

After his singalong classic Sweet Caroline became an anthem for England fans during EURO 2020, Neil Diamond’s All-Time Greatest Hits is rebounding back to the Top 40 (19), a new S Club 7 hits collection Essential could become the pop act’s sixth Top 40 album and first for 18 years (25), and finally, Rolling Stones live album A Bigger Bang: Live On Copacabana could sneak into the Top 40 (36).