A virtually dead week, but let’s run through it anyway.

1. Sam Fender & Olivia Dean – “Rein Me In”

Seven weeks non consecutive. While it’s 43 weeks old and past its peak, it continues to evade the ACR downweighting rule. To go to ACR, the test isn’t simply that a track has received fewer chart points several weeks running; it has to be underperforming the market average. “Rein Me In” outperformed a weak market this week, and so it’s not going to ACR for another few weeks at least. And it has no obvious challengers – it’s 10,000 ahead of Bella Kay at number 2, and she’ll go to ACR next week.

28. Harry Styles – “Sign of the Times”

There are only three entries to the top 40 this week, and only one of them is a current release. This isn’t one of them.

“Sign of the Times” was Harry Styles’ debut solo single in 2017, and had a week at number 1. It’s back now because it’s used in the soundtrack of Project Hail Mary, which is fair enough. I liked the film a lot, although it’s fair to say that much will turn on how you feel about Ryan Gosling, because believe me, it’s pretty much two and a half hours of non-stop Gosling.

29. ANOTR featuring 54 Ultra – “Talk To You”

This is the record that’s actually from 2026! ANOTR are a production duo from Amsterdam who’ve been around for a decade or so, and this is their first UK hit. They don’t seem to go in for making music videos.

54 Ultra is a guy called John Anthony from New Jersey, also getting his first UK hit. As best as I can tell, this is an actual collaboration rather than a sample. 54 Ultra’s own music sounds very different, however – he’s more of a 70s throwback act. This is his own current single.

40. Malcolm Todd – “Earrings”

Another debut hit. Malcolm Todd is a songwriter from LA who’s had some modest viral success in the past, though not in the UK. He actually has a single to promote at the moment, “Breathe”, which seems to be the lead single from his new album. That’s doing nothing, though – instead, TikTok has unearthed this track from his 2024 mixtape “Sweet Boy”. I’m sure he’ll take it.

This week’s climbers:

• “Babydoll” by Dominic Fike climbs 8-7.
• “White Keys” by Dominic Fike climbs 12-10 to become his third top 10 hit (the other one being “3 Nights” from 2019).
• “Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson climbs 16-12.
• “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley climbs 29-16. Don’t ask me what’s going on there – surely the release of a proper video didn’t make that much difference.
• “(When You Gonna) Give it Up To Me” by Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole climbs 26-24.
• “Wagwan” by Central Cee climbs 31-30.

The three tracks leaving the top 40 are:

• “Porch Light” by Noah Kahan, which entered at 19 and lasted three weeks.
• “Into the Groove” by Madonna, with a five week run that peaked at 18.
• “Aperture” by Harry Styles, a one-week number 1 that lasted ten weeks.

On the album chart, just two new entries:

1. Dermot Kennedy – “The Weight of the Woods”

His third studio album, all of which went to number 1.

13. Arlo Parks – “Ambiguous Desire”

Her third album, and the first to miss the top 10.