Taylor Swift is on track to reclaim the Number 1 spot on the Official Albums Chart this week with her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. Having already achieved eight non-consecutive weeks at the top earlier this year, this would mark its first return to the summit in nearly five months. The album’s resurgence is fueled by the physical release of its expanded Anthology edition on CD and vinyl. Upon its initial release in April, it debuted with the biggest first-week sales of 2024, moving an impressive 270,000 chart units—the UK’s highest album opening in seven years.
Meanwhile, Juice Wrld’s posthumous album, The Party Never Ends, is leading as the week’s highest new entry, aiming for Number 4. This would be the late rapper’s third Top 10 album, following 2020’s Legends Never Die and 2021’s Fighting Demons.
As the festive season kicks off, Michael Bublé’s perennial favorite Christmas continues its climb back into the Top 10, currently projected at Number 6. Similarly, Billie Eilish is poised to secure her fourth Top 10 album with HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (ISOLATED VOCALS), a stripped-down offshoot of her Number 1 LP HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, thanks to its Record Store Day Black Friday physical release (Number 10).
Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS is set to jump 15 places to Number 11, bolstered by the deluxe edition’s special colored LP release, GUTS (spilled), also part of Record Store Day Black Friday. Irish band Fontaines D.C. is climbing back into the Top 20 at Number 15 with Romance, supported by their ongoing UK and Ireland tour.
Eminem’s The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is making a strong comeback, leaping 46 spots to Number 20. Originally, the album spent three weeks at Number 1 earlier this year. Further down the chart, Bullet For My Valentine’s reissue of their debut album The Poison, celebrating its 20th anniversary, could re-enter at Number 23.
Other notable movements include James Marriott’s Bitter Tongues, expected to debut at Number 26 following its first physical release, and Echo & The Bunnymen’s What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?, which might return to the chart at Number 35 with its vinyl reissue. Finally, English folk group The Unthanks are eyeing their fourth Top 40 album as In Winter moves toward a debut at Number 36.
