New albums from Villagers and Orla Gartland aiming for Official Irish Albums Chart Top 5

New albums from Villagers and Orla Gartland are set to make strong debuts on this week's Official Irish Albums Chart. 

Indie-folk band Villagers, fronted by Conor O'Brien, are battling for the top spot with new album Fever Dreams against Olivia Rodrigo's Sour, with the Dublin act currently at Number 2 in today's sales flash (August 24). 

Villagers' fifth album - recorded with a full band and several guest singers - follows 2018's The Art Of Pretending To Swin, which peaked at Number 2. Villagers have so far landed three chart-toppers in Ireland, with Becoming A Jackal (2010), Awayland (2013), and Darling Arithmetic (2015).

Meanwhile, Dublin musician Orla Gartland is also aiming for a Top 5 entry with her long-awaited debut album Woman On The Internet, perched at Number 4 in today's update and close behind Sloar Power, the new album from New Zealand star Lorde (3).

Orla's first full-length collection arrives after a series of EPs, including 2020's Freckle Season. The record includes singles Pretending, More Like You and Zombie! - the latter a catchy indie-pop song about toxic masculinity, produced by Pete Robinson (The Vaccines, beabadoobee). 

Both albums are currently ahead of new rleases from US artist Trippie Redd, currently at 11 with Trip At Knight and indie-rock star Jake Bugg with his latest collection Saturday Night, Sunday Morning at 21.

This week's final Official Irish Albums and Singles Charts will be published on OfficialCharts.com/Ireland at 3pm on Friday. Listen to the chart every Friday on RTÉ 2FM with Bláthnaid Treacy at 7pm.

Article image: Karina Barberis (Orla Gartland) / Karina Barberis (Villagers)

© IRMA