Manic Street Preachers in chart battle with Sabrina Carpenter

In the one corner we have one of Wales’ greatest rock bands, in the other corner we have the American child star turned global popstrel.

The musical differences between Manic Street Preachers and Sabrina Carpenter are as wide as the Atlantic and then some.

Still, these two polar opposites are currently locked in a chart battle to decide who will score the number one album when the chart is announced at 5.45pm on Friday.

The encouraging news is that the midweek chart, which is compiled by the Official Charts Company from sales between Friday to Sunday, saw the Welsh legends’ new long player Critical Thinking sitting at number one, with the US singer hot on their heels.

The Manics are aiming for the third UK number one album after previous chart-toppers, 1998’s This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours and 2021’s The Ultra Vivid Lament.

Critical Thinking is their 15th studio album and has been showered with universally excellent reviews.

Overall they’ve scored a further 12 Top 10 UK albums during their 30+ year career.

Chasing them at number 2 is Sabrina Carpenter’s previous chart-topper Short N’ Sweet, which is so far up three places week-on-week and around 2,700 units behind the Manics. The record has been bolstered by the release of a deluxe edition featuring five brand-new tracks.

There is still time to help the Manics win their chart showdown with the album available to order in various formats, and available on all streaming platforms.

Find out more about Critical Thinking and how to order the album HERE

According to the Official UK Charts, The Wombats are pacing for a Number 3 debut with Oh! The Ocean, which would become the Liverpool band’s fifth UK Top 10 album; following 2011’s This Modern Glitch (3), 2015’s Glitterbug (5), 2018’s Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (3) and 2022’s chart-topping Fix Yourself, Not The World.

PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s new collaboration LP $ome $exy $ongs 4 U is expected to bow at Number 4, it would be the second Top 10 collection for PARTYNEXTDOOR (real name Jahron Brathwaite) and the 14th for Drake.

Two acts could be celebrating their first UK Top 10 album this week; singer-songwriter Louis Dunford aims for a Number 5 debut with Be Lucky, while Welsh cartoon rock outfit Punk Rock Factory could land at Number 6 with All Hands On Deck.

Further down, Rizzle Kicks’ comeback album Competition Is For Losers eyes a Top 20 debut (18), as does Geordie prog-folk singer Richard Dawson’s End of the Middle (20), which would be his first-ever Top 20 album in the UK.

Italian goth-metal band Lacuna Coil could score their first Top 40 album with Sleepless Empire (28), with further expected new entries midweek including The Cure’s live album Songs Of A Live World – Troxy London MMXX (33), The Lumineers’ Automatic (37) and M Huncho’s U2OPIA (38).

Finally, Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 album DAMN. could return to the Top 40 for the first time in seven years, up 12 places midweek (40). It previously peaked at Number 2 on its original release.