Can Steven Wilson defend first UK Number 1 album from Playboi Carti?

It's a clash of the UK and USA this week!

steven wilson playboi carti albums update

Steven Wilson starts the week ahead in the race for his first solo UK Number 1 album – but can he hold off one of the most anticipated rap releases in years?

The Porcupine Tree founder is sitting at the top of the Official Albums Chart midweek with The Overview, his eighth solo album.

It would be Wilson’s first to reach Number 1 in the UK. As a solo artist he’s notched up three UK Top 10 LPs to date; 2017’s To The Bone (3), 2021’s The Future Bites (4) and 2023’s The Harmony Codex (4). As a member of Porcupine Tree, Wilson has earned four Top 40 albums including Top 10 success with 2022’s CLOSURE / CONTINUATION (2).

Meanwhile, Playboi Carti’s third album MUSIC starts the new week at Number 2, but could be set to rise given the rapper’s streaming dominance. MUSIC is Carti’s first LP in just over four years, following December 2020’s Whole Lotta Red, one of this decade’s most acclaimed rap records. MUSIC would become Carti’s first-ever UK Top 10 album.

Carti also looks set to dominate this week’s Official Singles Chart, looking to sink three brand-new entries from the record; led by what could prove his first UK Top 5, EVIL J0RDAN.

Slow Readers Club are expected to claim their first-ever UK Top 5 album this week with Out Of A Dream (5). The Manchester rock outfit previously earned a Top 10 LP with 2020’s The Joy of the Return (9).

Following its physical release, Charli xcx’s BRAT remix album Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat could make its Official Chart debut (6). BRAT, of course, famously reached Number 1 in the UK last year for the first time after Brat and it’s completely different…’s initial streaming release.

Indie-pop icons Florence + The Machine’s 2024 concert at the BBC Proms, celebrating the legacy of their debut album Lungs, gets a physical release. Symphony of Lungs – BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with Jules Buckley could debut at Number 7, netting Florence Welch and co. their sixth UK Top 10 LP.

Our final new entry inside the midweek Top 10 is from Northern Irish rock star Ricky Warwick. If he maintains momentum, Blood Ties (8) looks to become his first-ever solo album to enter the UK Top 10.

Further down, Snow Patrol’s 2024 chart-topper The Forest Is The Path could re-enter the Top 40 after the release of its expanded edition (28).

Finally, US prog-rockers Coheed and Cambria could secure their third Top 40 LP, and their highest-charting yet, with The Father of Make Believe (33).