Brand New
Veteran band Brand New debut at #1 on this week’s Billboard 200 with their surprise new release Science Fiction. The enigmatic group dropped their first album since 2009 without warning on August 18 via their own Procrastinate! Music Traitors label. Science Fiction is currently only released as a digital download or via streaming services, with a CD and vinyl release set for October 18. Regardless, it totaled 58,000 equivalent album units during its first week of availability. According to Nielsen Music‘s data, it is the first #1 independently distributed album in 2017.
Another debut arrives at #2 with week, with rapper Kodak Black‘s new album Project Baby Two (which he considers a mixtape and not a proper studio album). Black’s last release Painting Pictures hit #3 earlier this year.
DAMN. from Kendrick Lamar is at #3. Rockers Neck Deep have the fourth top ten debut this week with The Peace and The Panic. Last week’s #1 album Rainbow from Kesha lands at #5, followed by Khalid at #6 and DJ Khaled at #7. Ed Sheeran comes in at #8. The last top ten debut this week is from rapper Dave East, whose new album Paranoia: A True Story is at #9. The top ten is rounded out by Imagine Dragons‘ Evolve.
