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\n\tEd Sheeran<\/a> extends his perfect U.K. albums chart record as Autumn Variations<\/em> (via Gingerbread Man) debuts at No. 1.<\/p>\n \n\tProduced with the National\u2019s Aaron Dessner, Autumn Variations<\/em> bows at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart<\/a>, published Friday, Oct. 6, for the Brit\u2019s seventh straight leader. <\/p>\n \n\tThe leader at the halfway stage<\/a>, when it dominated its nearest competitor by more than two-combined-sales-to-one, Autumn Variations<\/em> is Sheeran\u2019s second leader this year. It finishes the U.K. chart week as the best-seller on wax, and follows national No. 1s with his 2011 debut + (plus<\/em>), 2014\u2019s x (multiply<\/em>), 2017\u2019s \u00f7 (divide<\/em>), 2019\u2019s No. 6 Collaborations Project<\/em>, 2021\u2019s = (equals) and 2023\u2019s \u2013 (subtract<\/em>). <\/p>\n \n\tOlivia Rodrigo<\/a>\u2019s sophomore LP Guts<\/em> (Geffen) holds at No. 2 for a third consecutive week, while Jorja Smith<\/a> enjoys a podium finish with her second studio album Falling Or Flying<\/em> (FAMM), new at No. 3. Smith, the 2018 BRITs Critics Choice<\/a> award winner, has now landed three titles in the U.K. top 10, a tally that includes her 2018 debut Lost & Found<\/em> (No. 3) and 2021 EP Be Right Back<\/em> (No. 9). <\/p>\n \n\tAlso new to the top tier is The Harmony Codex<\/em> (SW Records), the third solo album from Porcupine Tree<\/a>\u2018s Steven Wilson<\/a>. It\u2019s new at No. 4 on the U.K. chart, matching the peak of his previous effort, 2021\u2019s The Future Bites<\/em> (2017\u2019s To the Bone<\/em> reached No. 3). <\/p>\n \n\tMeanwhile, U.S. rock act Black Stone Cherry<\/a> nabs a fourth U.K. top 10 album with Screamin\u2019 at the Sky<\/em> (Mascot), new at No. 6. <\/p>\n \n\tFurther down the list, British synth-wave outfit Gunship rides to a new career peak position with Unicorn<\/em> (Horsie In The Hedge), bowing at No. 26; U.K. Eurovision 2023 rep Mae Muller<\/a> scores her first U.K. top 40 album with Sorry I\u2019m Late<\/em> (Capitol), arriving at No. 33, and British soul veteran Beverley Knight<\/a> nabs an eighth with The Fifth Chapter<\/em> (Tag8), starting at No. 39. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n