Rex Orange County Bags First U.K. No. 1 With ‘Who Cares’

March 21, 2022 E Jazz Reporter

Rex Orange County’s new LP leads an all-new Top 3, besting Swedish rockers Ghost and Canadian rock veteran Bryan Adams.

Rex Orange County

Alexandra Waespi*

Rex Orange County breaks through for his first U.K. No. 1 with Who Cares? (via Columbia), the alt-indie marvel’s fourth studio album, and second with RCA.

Born in Hampshire, England, Rex Orange County (real name Alexander James O’Connor) easily eclipses his previous best, a No. 5 for 2019’s Pony, his major-label debut following two self-released efforts.

Who Cares leads an all-new Top 3, besting Swedish rockers Ghost and their fifth studio effort IMPERA (Loma Vista), new at No. 2. IMPERA misses out on the crown, though it does give Ghost a new career high, improving on the No. 10 for 2018’s Prequelle.

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Meanwhile, Bryan Adams enters the chart at No. 3 with So Happy It Hurts (BMG), for the Canadian rocker’s 11th U.K. Top 10 title.

Closing out the Top 5 is The Shires’ fifth album, 10 Year Plan (BMG). It’s new at No. 5, just ahead of U.S. hip-hop artist Lil Durk’s 7220 (Ministry of Sound), new at No. 6. It’s Lil Durk’s highest solo appearance on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

In a busy week for new releases, Franz Ferdinand land a sixth Top 10 with the Scottish indie band’s career retrospective, Hits to the Head (via Domino Recordings), new at No. 7; Ella Henderson scores a second Top 10, as her sophomore album Everything I Didn’t Say (Atlantic) bows at No. 8; while Liverpool guitar band The Mysterines earn a top-tier debut with Reeling (Fiction), new at No. 9.

Finally, London-based Australian singer and songwriter Thomas Headon marks his first appearance in the Top 40 with his Victoria EP (via Warner Records), which, at the midweek point held a Top 10 spot and enters the Official U.K. Albums Chart proper at No. 23.

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