Blossoms Set For U.K. No. 1 With ‘Ribbon Around the Bomb’ – Billboard

Blossoms are ready to detonate the U.K. albums chart with Ribbon Around the Bomb (EMI), which leads the midweek tally.

If it holds its course, Ribbon will become the English indie outfit’s third leader, following 2016’s eponymously-titled debut and 2020’s Foolish Loving Spaces.

Coming in at No. 2 on the Official Albums Chart Update is Rammstein, with their eighth studio album, Zeit (Spinefarm). If it stays on target, Zeit will give the metal band their highest chart position, and just their second Top 10 after 2019’s Rammstein, which peaked at No. 3.

Completing the podium at the halfway point is Dopamine (BMG), by British rock quintet Thunder. If it stays at No. 3, Dopamine, the band’s 14th studio LP, will be their equal career high.

Also new to the midweek chart is Future, who could snag a career best of No. 4 with the Atlanta hip-hop star’s ninth album I Never Liked You (Epic/Freebandz). Also, indie rock favorites Bloc Party are aiming for a No. 6 start with Alpha Games (BMG), while Reef’s sixth album Shoot Me Your Ace (Raging Sea) is tracking for a No. 8 berth.

Future’s latest album should impact both main U.K. charts when they’re unveiled late Friday. Three tracks from I Never Liked You are vying for Top 20 debuts, led by “Wait For U,” his collaboration with Drake and Tems. It’s new at No. 9 on the Official Chart Update. 

American Idol alum Benson Boone could bag his first U.K. Top 40 appearance with “In The Stars” (Warner Records), new at No. 20 on the chart blast, while a string of new releases, including Sam Smith’s “Love Me More” (EMI); Nathan Dawe and Ella Henderson’s “21 Reasons” (Atlantic) and Psy’s comeback track “That That” featuring BTS‘ Suga, are eying Top 75 debuts.

At the top of the chart update is Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” (Columbia), which is chasing a fifth consecutive week at No. 1.