5 Seconds of Summer In the Hunt for U.K. No. 1

5 Seconds of Summer are in a striking distance of third U.K. chart crown.

Based on midweek data published by the Official U.K. Charts Company, the Aussie pop-rock outfit is in a four-way battle for the title, a race currently led by British hip-hop collective D-Block Europe (with Lap 5).

At the midweek point, 5SOS’s fifth studio album is in third place, and needs less than 1,600 chart units to take the lead.

Whatever happens when the weekly chart is published late Friday, 5SOS’ latest LP should comfortably give the Sydneysiders a fifth U.K. top 10.

Luke Hemmings (vocals/guitar), Michael Clifford (vocals/guitar), Calum Hood (vocals/bass), and Ashton Irwin (vocals/drums) have, collectively, been a major exporter to the U.K., bagging 10 top 40 singles including a No. 1 for their debut record, 2014’s “She Looks So Perfect.”

To celebrate the new album release, the first to be issued independently via BMG, 5SOS recently performed an exclusive global livestream “The Feeling of Falling Upwards” at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London.

5SOS isn’t the only Australian act making a big play in the U.K. charts this week.

Luude’s reworking of Mattafix’s “Big City Life” (via Warner Records) lifts 10-7 on the midweek singles survey, for what would be a peak position.

“Big City Life” is the follow-up to the drum ‘n’ bass reimagining of Men at Work’s “Down Under,” featuring Colin Hay, which peaked at No. 5 on the national chart early in the year.

All will be revealed this Friday.