John Butler enjoys the brightest start on ARIA’s new-look albums chart.
The Western Australia native opens his account at No. 3 with PRISM, the third in an expansive, four-part solo “seasons” project.
“PRISM just sent me on an odyssey, on a journey, that I didn’t realise I was on,” he says of the project, six years in the making.
As band leader of the John Butler Trio, the ARIA Award-winning singer and songwriter has nine top 50 albums, including ARIA Chart leaders with Sunrise Over Sea (2004), Grand National (2007), April Uprising (2010) and Home (2018).
Close behind is G Flip, whose Dream Ride glides in at No. 4 on the latest frame, published Friday, September 9th. Dream Ride is the multi-instrumentalist’s third studio album, and the followup to their 2023 chart leader Drummer.
Dream Ride is the week’s best-seller on wax, to lead the ARIA Vinyl Chart ahead of Butler’s PRISM, at No. 2.
Meanwhile, the surprise release of Justin Bieber’s Swag II gives fuel to Swag, which vaults 20-6 on the new-look weekly albums tally. Following its release in July, Swag debuted and peaked at No. 2.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne lands a new career high as a solo act, as Who Is The Sky? debuts at No. 18. That bests the No. 47 for My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, his collaborative effort with Brian Eno, released back in 1981. Talking Heads had five top 20 albums, topping out No. 2 with Little Creatures in 1985 and True Stories in 1986.
American indie rock band Big Thief bag a top 20 appearance with Double Infinity, new at No. 19.
At the top of the leaderboard, KPop Demon Hunters rebounds 2-1 for an eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1. The collection swaps places with Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, down 1-2.
After pulling their music from Spotify, and generously enabling fans to download their catalogue on Bandcamp for whatever price they choose, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard sees two albums slither into the top 50. Phantom Island, released in June, drops in at No. 39, and Flight b741, from 2024, reenters at No. 48.
The psychedelic rockers account for two of the seven homegrown recordings in the ARIA Top 50.
KPop Demon Hunters completes another chart double, as the soundtrack to the animated Netflix hit enjoys an eighth non-consecutive week atop the albums chart, and its track “Golden” retains top spot on the ARIA Singles Chart for a seventh consecutive week. Seven tracks from the soundtrack impact the top 20.
No Australian singles bother the ARIA Top 50, and just one new release makes the cut, Lady Gaga’s “The Dead Dance”, at No. 49.
