The Lathums and Doves are currently in a tight race to become this week’s UK Number One on the Official Charts.
The two bands are in an intense battle for the top spot with less than 500 chart units between Doves and The Lathums in the race for the Number One album (per Official Charts).
The Lathums are currently in the lead with their LP ‘Matter Does Not Define‘. If they land that top spot, it would mark their third consecutive UK Number 1 album, following 2021’s ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be‘ and 2023’s ‘From Nothing To A Little Bit More‘.
Doves are not too far behind with ‘Constellations For The Lonely‘, their first album in five years. The indie rock three-piece from Cheshire previously claimed three UK Number One albums with 2002’s ‘The Last Broadcast’, 2005’s ‘Some Cities’ and 2020’s ‘The Universal Want’.
Other bands within the Top 10 include the likes of Architects at Number Three with ‘The Sky, The Earth and All Between‘, Oasis at Number Four with their former 2000 chart topper ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’, Bradley Simpson at Number Six with his solo debut LP ‘The Panic Years’, former NME Cover star Lola Young at Number Eight with ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway’ and LISA at Number Ten with her solo album ‘Alter Ego’.
Elsewhere, Doves are currently out on a UK headline tour without frontman Jimi Goodwin, who is continuing to work on his mental health. Last November, Goodwin was absent from the band’s first UK gigs since 2019.
Speaking about ‘Constellations…’ during an interview with NME in late 2024, Jez Williams explained: “This is quite a dark album. We started to write it after we cancelled The Universal Want’ tour, so some of the songs reflect that.
“We wanted ‘Renegade’ to start with this apocalyptic atmosphere. That’s what felt right for us after such a difficult time. Jimi was with us, but we were trying to make sense of all the mess – and that fed into the album.”
He continued: “We’re living in pretty fucking horrible times, so we wanted to reflect that but give a little hope. When you listen to Neil Young, it feels like he understands you. It’s music that can hold your hand in this dark world. I see this as a future soul album for outsiders. We want you to feel understood.”
The musician also told NME that Goodwin was “still working on his sobriety and mental health”, after Doves cancelled all their scheduled live performances in 2021.
“When we cancelled ‘The Universal Want’ tour, people were really fucked off that they’d bought these tickets after waiting for us since 2010, just for us to cancel,” Williams told NME.
“People just want to hear the songs. We never got to play that album live. Jimi’s not ready, but he gave us his blessing, so we’re going to take the songs out live with us.”
You can see the band’s full schedule, and find any remaining tickets here. In other news, Liam Gallagher has responded to Doves‘ new album posters that joke about new Oasis material.