Taylor Swift Tackles Pet Shop Boys For U.K. No. 1 Album

TayTay’s “Tortured Poets” leads by just 1,000 chart units at the midweek stage.

Taylor Swift is on track for a second week at No. 1 in the U.K. with The Tortured Poets Department (via EMI).

Unlike last week when Tortured Poets creamed the competition en route to her 12th U.K. No. 1, TayTay has a challenger — in the form of Pet Shop Boys’ new album Nonetheless (Parlophone).

Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, Nonetheless sits at No. 2, roughly 1,000 chart units behind TayTay’s double-album.

Nonetheless is the veteran British electronic-pop outfit’s 15th studio album, and is predicted to become their 19th U.K. top 10. If it holds its position, Nonetheless would become Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s highest-charting collaborative studio album since Very led the chart in 1993, one of the pair’s four No. 1s.

Swift’s Tortured Poets last Friday, April 26, completed the chart cycle with the biggest opening-week in seven years, TayTay’s brightest-ever start in the U.K., and the fastest-selling album of 2024 so far. Also, she now joins Madonna as the solo female artists with the most all-time leaders on the U.K. albums chart, and draws level with Bruce Springsteen on the all-time leaderboard.

Meanwhile, the Zutons are predicted to grab a podium spot with The Big Decider (Icepop). It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is set up to become the British band’s first U.K. top 5 LP in 18 years.

Also eyeing top 10 debus are St. Vincent, with her self-produced seventh LP All Born Screaming (No. 4 via Total Pleasure), Jess Glynne’s third album JESS (No. 5 via EMI), 5 Seconds of Summer member Luke Hemmings’ new EP Boy (No. 6 via RCA), and French electronic duo Justice with their fourth LP Hyperdrama (No. 10 via Because Music).

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday, May 3.