The Shires set to secure first ever UK Number One album with 'Good Years'

The Shires are in pole position for their first ever UK Number One album, as their fourth record ‘Good Years’ is currently leading the way in the midweek charts. You can read our review of the record here.
The duo – made up of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – have been very successful in the UK Country charts, with all three of their previous albums reaching the top spot, but they are yet to claim a Number One in the all-genre chart, with ‘My Universe’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ both peaking at Number Three.
The duo will face stern competition from former One Direction member Niall Horan however, whose second solo album ‘Heartbreak Weather’ is hot on the heels of ‘Good Years’ in second place.
Speaking about the news, the duo said in a statement that they are very thankful to everyone who has ordered the record and also expressed their regret at not being able to play at C2C over the weekend, following the festival’s postponement.
“We are so grateful to every single person that has bought ‘Good Years’,” the duo said. “We set out to make a positive, uplifting record and we hope it brings some joy to people right now at this difficult time.
“We were so sad not to be able to play C2C last weekend, but it’s great to see our community coming together this week for (fingers crossed) a UK Country #1.”
The only other possible new rival for The Shires is UK indie rock band Circa Waves, whose latest album ‘Sad Happy’ is currently sitting in fourth in its first week of sales, while Lewis Capaldi remains at three with ‘Definitely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent’.