This Week In Pop – 5 May 2022

Welcome to This Week In Pop.

This week, Northlane snare their second #1 album, while Harry Styles returns to the top of the Singles Chart and the likes of Daniel Johns, Ocean Grove and The Kid Laroi score top ten debuts.

This week's album chartifacts

#1: Northlane ‘Obsidian’ – Northlane take out their second ARIA #1 album as they debut in the top spot with 'Obsidian'. The metalcore band’s sixth album comes three years on from 'Alien' (#3 August ’19) which won Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album at the 2019 ARIA Awards. Obsidian was self-produced by the band. Northlane first hit #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with 'Node' (#1 August ’15). Obsidian is the fifth Australian #1 album on the ARIA Charts in 2022.
Northlane said: “It feels absolutely surreal to have the #1 album this week. When we went independent we took a huge step, but the authenticity of the record, supported by the right team and our incredible fan base, has prevailed. A huge thanks is owed to everyone who worked on the album behind the scenes and especially to the fans who streamed or purchased a copy. Northlane has once again triumphed against all odds. Can’t wait to see you on the road.”
#2: Daniel Johns ‘FutureNever’ – Former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns scores his second solo appearance on the ARIA Albums Chart as he debuts at #2 with 'FutureNever'. Johns’ second solo album comes seven years on from 'Talk' (#2 June ’15). It makes its debut this week solely on digital sales and streams, with vinyl CD and cassette versions to follow. Between solo albums, Johns teamed up with Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson, Empire Of The Sun) as the duo Dreams, releasing 'No One Defeats Us' (#42 September ’18).
#8: Ocean Grove ‘Up In The Air Forever’ – Melbourne nu-metal band Ocean Grove claim a third ARIA Top Ten entry as they debut at #8 with 'Up In The Air Forever'. The follow-up to 'Flip Phone Fantasy' (#8 March ’20) is the group’s third album. Ocean Grove first hit the Top Ten with their debut 'The Rhapsody Tapes' (#5 February ’17).

This week's single chartifacts

#1: Harry Styles ‘As It Was’ – After two weeks at #2, Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ returns to take a second week at #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The track’s return to the peak comes after Styles performed his second week as Friday night headliner at Coachella in California. This week, the former One Direction member released the tracklist for his forthcoming third album, 'Harry’s House', which is set to drop on 20 May. Styles’ previous single ‘Watermelon Sugar’ (#5 July ’20) has climbed 12 spots to #25 this week.
#4: The Kid Laroi ‘Thousand Miles’ – The Kid Laroi takes out his fifth Top Ten on the ARIA Singles Chart, debuting at #4 with ‘Thousand Miles’. The ARIA Award winner’s first single of 2022 is his first track to hit the Top Ten since ‘Not Sober’ (#8 August ’21). The debut of ‘Thousand Miles’ comes a month before The Kid Laroi returns to Australia for an arena tour.
#10: Latto x Mariah Carey x DJ Khaled ‘Big Energy’ – Five weeks into its run on the Singles Chart, ‘Big Energy’ by American hip hop artist Latto hits the Top Ten for the first time at #10. Lead by the remix of the track featuring Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled, ‘Big Energy’ has so far peaked at #3 in the US.

Top 10 Albums

1. 'Obsidian' – Northlane
2. 'FutureNever' – Daniel Johns
3. 'SOUR' – Olivia Rodrigo
4. 'Fine Line' – Harry Styles
5. 'Planet Her' – Doja Cat
6. '=' – Ed Sheeran
7. 'The Highlights' – The Weeknd
8. 'Up In The Air Forever' – Ocean Grove
9. 'Harry Styles' – Harry Styles
10. 'Encanto' – Soundtrack

Top 10 Singles

1. 'As It Was' – Harry Styles
2. 'First Class' – Jack Harlow
3. 'Heat Waves' – Glass Animals
4. 'Thousand Miles' – The Kid Laroi
5. 'Stay' – The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber
6. 'Bad Habits' – Ed Sheeran
7. 'Where Are You Now' – Lost Frequencies & Calum Scott
8. 'Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)' – Elton John & Dua Lipa
9. 'Shivers' – Ed Sheeran
10. 'Big Energy' – Latto x Mariah Carey x DJ Khaled