Midnight Oil return for fifth ARIA Charts #1 album

Returning with The Makarrata Project, their new music in 18 years, ARIA Hall Of Fame members Midnight Oil take out their fifth #1 album on the ARIA Charts. The Sydney band’s 14th Top Ten album is their first #1 since the compilation 20,000 Watt R.S.L. (#1 Oct. ’97) and their first studio album to hit #1 since Blue Sky Mining (#1 Mar. ’90). The mini-album The Makarrata Project features the band collaborating with Indigenous artists and First Nations people including Jessica Mauboy, Kev Carmody, Troy Cassar-Daley, Dan Sultan and Frank Yamma. The band’s last new album was Capricornia (#8 Mar. ’02), which they released in the same year they split. Since reuniting, Midnight Oil have hit the Top Ten with Armistice Day: Live At The Domain, Sydney (#5 Nov. ’18).

Midnight Oil's other #1 albums were with Red Sails in the Sunset (#1 Nov. ’84) and Diesel and Dust (#1 Aug. ’87).

The Makarrata Project is the 14th Australian #1 album on the ARIA Charts in 2020.

Dan Rosen, CEO of ARIA, said:

“Congratulations to the mighty Midnight Oil on returning to the top of the ARIA Chart with The Makarrata Project. As always, this album combines brilliant musicianship with powerful messages. They are one of the greatest bands this country has ever produced, and their success shows they are as vital as ever.”

Releasing Positions, Ariana Grande scores her sixth Top Ten on the ARIA Albums Chart. The American star’s sixth studio album is the follow-up to Thank U, Next (#1 Feb. ’19) and features the title track/lead single ‘Positions’ (#1 Nov. ’20), which is at #1 for a second week on the Singles Chart. Eight tracks from the album appear in this week’s Singles Chart Top 50. Positions includes collaborations with Doja Cat, The Weeknd and Ty Dolla Sign. Ariana Grande has also previously hit #1 with the albums My Everything (#1 Sept. ’14), Dangerous Woman (#1 May ’16) and Sweetener (#1 Aug. ’18).

British singer-songwriter Sam Smith releases Love Goes, their third album and the first in three years. The follow-up to The Thrill Of It All (#2 Nov. ’17) includes ‘Diamonds’ (#33 Nov. ’20), plus a number of previous singles as bonus tracks: ‘Promises’ (#4 Sept. ’18), ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ (#6 Mar. ’19), ‘How Do You Sleep?’ (#10 Oct. ’19) and ‘I’m Ready’ (#25 Apr. ’20). Sam Smith topped the Albums Chart with In The Lonely Hour (#1 Apr. ’15).

American rock band Mr. Bungle regroup and release their first album since 1999, The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo, debuting at #6. The new album is a re-recording of the band’s first self-released demo tape from 1986. It becomes Mr. Bungle’s first Top 50 entry since Disco Volante (#40 Nov. ’95) and their first ever Top Ten.

After hitting #1 with their last four albums, British metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon hit #7 as they release the EP, Post Human: Survival Horror. The group’s second EP in under a year includes collaborations with Yungblud, Babymetal and Evanescence singer Amy Lee. Bring Me The Horizon have hit #1 with There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret (#1 Oct. ’10), Sempiternal (#1 Apr. ’13), That's The Spirit (#1 Sept. ’15) and Amo (#1 Feb. ’19).

Sydney hip hop group Triple One make their ARIA Albums Chart debut at #8 with Panic Force. The quartet’s debut album follows on from three EPs released between 2017 and 2019. Since 2017, Triple One have released 23 singles, including collaborations with Matt Corby, Kwame and Chillinit.

More than six years after her last studio album, multiple-ARIA nominee Kate Miller-Heidke debuts at #9 with her fifth album, Child In Reverse. Between the release of O Vertigo! (#4 Mar. ’14) and the new album, the singer-songwriter released The Best Of Kate Miller-Heidke: Act One (#35 Dec. ’16) and Live At The Sydney Opera House (#31 Aug. ’17), co-wrote the musical Muriel’s Wedding and represented Australia at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. This is Miller-Heidke’s fourth Top Ten album.

Following its release on vinyl, Troye Sivan’s In A Dream storms back into the chart at #10. The EP previously debuted at #3 in August of this year. It’s #1 on this week’s ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart.

Triple J Like A Version 16 becomes the latest installment in the popular series to hit the ARIA Albums Chart as it debuts at #32. The album includes Alex Lahey covering My Chemical Romance, Lime Cordiale covering Divinyls, Milky Chance covering Tones And I, Yours Truly covering Oasis and more. The last album in the series to chart was Triple J Like A Version 15 (#6 Oct. ’19).