Ed, Harry, and Paramore fight for #1 – it’s a sign of the times

The last time British chaps named Ed and Harry were battling it on the hit parade, we were purchasing the majority of our music in pianola-roll form.

Still, here we are in 2017, with video phones we barely use and the MP3 now so antiquated as to be discontinued, and still the albums chart is being dominated by an ex-boy band member, a British folk singer, and a Christian band. It’s like the ’60, or the ’80, or the ’90s – or perhaps it’s merely a sign of the times.

As it stands this week, Ed Sheeran’s Divide is more-than-likely to maintain his #1 spot on the ARIA Albums chart, considering his tour announcement over the past week, with Harry Styles’ debut album (pro tip: album track ‘Ever Since New York’ is a good tune) and Paramore’s fifth album After Laughter likely to fill the remainder of the top three.

Other strong album debuts this week will come from Zac Brown Band, whose Welcome Home could land in the Top 5, with a Top 20 debut likely for Dead Letter Circus’ paradoxically-titled The Endless Mile.

Dean Lewis and Seether will likely make Top 30 debuts with Same Kind of Different and Poison The Parish respectively, while Midnight Oil’s Full Tank boxset and Machine Gun Kelly’s Bloom should both enjoy Top 40 debuts.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.