Years & Years is the proud new owner of the U.K. chart title as Night Call (Polydor) dials in at No. 1.
Night Call becomes Olly Alexander’s second leader on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, following 2015’s Communion, and first since the pop act became a solo project. Physical sales account for three-quarters of its first-week total, the Official Charts Company reports, to pip Yard Act’s The Overload (Island) following a “hard-fought week-long” chart battle.
Yard Act, the post-punk band from Leeds, England, proves to be a big hit with vinyl-lovers; The Overload is now recognized as the fastest-selling debut album on vinyl of any band this century, according to the OCC, eclipsing the first-week sales of Inhaler’s It Won’t Always Be Like This, from July 2021.
Following Meat Loaf’s death Jan. 20 at the age of 74, the rock legend makes a posthumous push on the national albums list with three albums impacting the Top 40.
Leading the way is his classic 1977 debut Bat Out Of Hell (Epic), which flies to No. 3, besting its previous chart peak of No. 9. Bat Out Of Hell is the most-downloaded album of the latest cycle.
Meat Loaf also blasts to No. 5 with career retrospective Hits Out Of Hell (Sony Music), the most-streamed album of the week, while Bat Out of Hell 2: Back Into Hell (Virgin) is at No. 24.
Finally, Norwegian alternative-pop artist Aurora earns her first U.K. Top 10 album with her third effort, The Gods We Can Touch (UCJ), new at No. 8, while Barnsley rock act The Sherlocks nab a second Top 10 with World I Understand (UCJ), new at No. 9.
