Letter To You lands Bruce Springsteen fifth ARIA #1 album

Releasing his twentieth studio album, Letter To You, Bruce Springsteen scores his fifth #1 album on the ARIA Charts. It becomes the American rock icon’s second chart-topper in as many years after hitting #1 in 2019 with Western Stars (#1 Jun. ’19). Letter To You is the first new Springsteen studio album with his regular backing group the E Street Band since High Hopes (#1 Jan. ’14). Bruce Springsteen has also topped the ARIA Albums Chart with Born In The U.S.A. (#1 Oct. ’84) and Greatest Hits (#1 Mar. ’95).

Returning with their self-titled sixth album, Brisbane’s Ball Park Music take out their fifth ARIA Charts Top Ten debut at #2. It’s the follow-up to Good Mood (#5 Feb. ’18), which was nominated for three ARIAs in 2018. The five-piece have also previously hit the Top Ten with Every Night The Same Dream (#3 Aug. ’16), Puddinghead (#2 Apr. ’14) and Museum (#9 Oct. ’12). Vinyl reissues of Happiness And Surrounding Suburbs and Puddinghead bundled with digital versions of Ball Park Music have debuted at #26 and #34, respectively. Ball Park Music holds six spots in this week’s ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart Top Ten.

Releasing a deluxe edition of his second album What You See Is What You Get (#1 Nov. ’19), retitling it What You See Ain't Always What You Get, American country star Luke Combs climbs 13 spots to #4. The new version includes an extra six tracks including ‘Forever After All’ which has debuted at #14 on this week’s Singles Chart.

British virtual band Gorillaz release their seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, debuting at #5. Coming two years on from The Now Now (#4 Jul. ’18), the album features an all-star line-up including Elton John, Beck, St Vincent and The Cure’s Robert Smith, among others. Gorillaz hit #1 ten years ago with Plastic Beach (#1 Mar. ’10). Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is this week’s ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart #1.

At #8, British band Nothing But Thieves return with Moral Panic. The third album from the quintet comes three years on from their last LP, Broken Machine (#12 Sept. ’17) and becomes their first Top Ten entry.

Getting its first wide release, Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged set makes its Top 50 debut at #20. Recorded in New York in March 1992, the seven-song show occured three days after the now-legendary rock band completed their first American tour. Pearl Jam hit the chart earlier in the year with their eleventh album Gigaton (#3 Apr. ’20).

A month on from State Of The Art (Instrumental Edition) (#31 Oct. ’20), Hilltop Hoods release the second of their four vinyl-only instrumental reissues, Drinking From The Sun (Instrumental Edition), debuting at #21. The Adelaide trio’s sixth album, Drinking From The Sun spent two weeks at #1 on the Albums Chart in 2012 and earned them five ARIA Award nominations in 2012. The original album featured the single ‘I Love It’ (#6 Feb. ’12).

After making his Albums Chart debut earlier in the year with ADHD (#9 Apr. ’20), Joyner Lucas takes out a second chart entry for the year at #45 with Evolution. The American rapper’s first EP includes featured appearances by The Game, Rick Ross and the late Ashanti.

On the back of the film’s broadcast on Australian TV last weekend, Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s soundtrack to A Star Is Born returns to the Top 50 at #47.