Sea Girls secure highest new Albums Chart entry with Midnight Butterflies

As Taylor Swift makes it seven non-consecutive weeks at the summit

Sea Girls secure this week’s highest new entry on the Official Albums Chart, as Taylor Swift manages a new personal best with a seventh week at the summit.

British rock outfit Sea Girls, comprising Henry Camamile, Rory Young, Andrew Dawson and Oli Khan, celebrate a hat-trick of Top 5 albums as their third studio collection Midnight Butterflies makes its debut (5). The group previously saw success with 2020’s Open Up Your Head (3) and 2022 LP Homesick (3).

The best-seller in UK independent record shops this week, Midnight Butterflies also debuts atop the Official Record Store Chart.

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But it’s Taylor Swift who reigns supreme once again. The Tortured Poets Department earns a seventh non-consecutive week at Number 1. Taylor’s 11th studio album extends its lead as her longest-running chart-topper in the UK, surpassing 2022’s Midnights which sat at the summit for five non-consecutive weeks.

Billie Eilish’s former chart-topper HIT ME HARD AND SOFT shows some staying power, lifting two this week (2).

Missouri-born pop auteur Chappell Roan celebrates a brand-new peak for 2023 debut The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess this week. The record lifts six to Number 9, marking its first time in the Top 10.

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One Hand Clapping, Paul McCartney & Wings’ live studio album, is a brand-new entry at Number 10 today. The LP was originally recorded at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios in August 1974, finally receiving an official release just shy of 50 years later. It becomes the group’s first Top 10 album in 45 years, since Back To The Egg peaked at Number 6 in 1979.

North Carolina native Luke Combs nets his fourth Top 40 LP with Fathers & Sons this week (14). The country star’s fifth studio album joins 2019’s What You See Is What You Get (27), 2022’s Growin’ Up (9) and 2023’s Gettin’ Old (5) in Combs’ Top 40 tally.

As they bring their Everything Or Nothing At All Tour to UK stadiums, Foo Fighters see 2022 hits compilation The Essential vault 23 places back into the Top 40 (19).

Don Toliver clinches a fourth Top 40 LP with HARDSTONE PSYCHO (27). The Texan rapper, singer and songwriter, born Caleb Zackery Toliver, previously saw similar success with 2020’s Heaven Or Hell (16), 2021’s Life of a DON (26) and 2023 release Love Sick (36).

Michigan export John Grant claims a fifth UK Top 40 album with sixth studio LP The Art of the Lie this week (28). Grant previously saw success with 2010’s Queen of Denmark (59), 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts (16), 2015 release Grey Tickles, Black Pressure (5), 2018’s Love Is Magic (17) and 2021’s Boy From Michigan (8).

Following its release on vinyl, Fred again..’s USB surges this week, up an impressive 148 spots to a brand-new peak (29). USB also tops this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart; the best-seller of the past seven days on wax.

Benson Boone is also back on the ascent, with his debut album Fireworks & Rollerblades rebounding seven in a return to the Top 40 (36).

And finally, Rock ‘n’ Roll Star!, an expansive posthumous collection encapsulating David Bowie’s journey from 1971 through to the creation of his Ziggy Stardust persona, sees the icon secure a 71st Top 40 album (39).