Mogwai are leading this week’s race for the Number One spot in the Official Albums Chart, the Official Charts Company have confirmed.

The Glasgow post-rock band released their 10th studio album ‘As The Love Continues’ last week (February 19).

As of today (February 22), Mogwai are ahead in this week’s chart standings but are only marginally ahead of their competitors. Only 1,800 currently separate the top three, which is rounded out by Foo Fighters’ ‘Medicine At Midnight’ at Number Two and Ghetts’ ‘Conflict Of Interest’ at Number Three.

If ‘As The Love Continues’ holds on to the top spot, it will be the band’s third consecutive Top 10 studio album. Their previous two records – 2014’s ‘Rave Tapes’ and 2017’s ‘Every Country’s Sun’ – both reached the upper echelons of the albums chart.

In a three-star review, NME said of the new album: “‘As The Love Continues’ is an album that opens beautifully but falls short at times during its second half. Then again, the whole record works so much better in a live setting – and will continue to do so when Mogwai finally hit the road again.”

The band also recently held a livestream concert ahead of the record’s release, which NME called “the next best thing” to seeing Mogwai in the flesh.

Speaking to NME in January, frontman Stuart Braithwaite discussed the inspiration behind new song ‘Ritchie Sacramento’.

“I was inspired by a story that Bob Nastanovich put online on the anniversary of the death of Dave Berman from Silver Jews,” he said. “When they were students, Dave threw a shovel at a sports car. That’s the first line of the song: ‘Rise crystal spear’.”