Each week, 10 new releases are selected to go head to head, with one weekly winner which will then go up against future weekly winners later in the year at the end of each quarter of the year, and then again at the end of the year to determine the ultimate winner of 2026. Last week's results: Everything Everything - Poison Pop [5] Christine and the Queens - Rendez-vous in your arms [4] Royal Blood - Mother Never Told You [2] Sam Fender - You Can't Always Get What You Want [2] Lizzy McAlpine - The Wheel [1] Rex Orange County (feat. Brendan Yates) - Elvis [1] Sufjan Stevens - On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better) [1] Cage The Elephant - Make It Easy [0] DMA'S - Best Life [0] Tiebreak results: CHVRCHES - Overthinker [9] The Big Moon - You Remind Me That I'm Dying (and that it's good to be alive) [3] Total votes: 17 Here are this week's contenders: Bullet For My Valentine (feat. Will Ramos) - I Don't Trust Tomorrow Ethel Cain & Robin Carolan - Wynter Waxeth Fall Out Boy - ACES Friendly Fires - Gold Dust Gang of Youths - Benny's Video Jake Bugg - When The Night Kingfishr - Weight Of The Feather Simple Minds - Elysium South Arcade - SplitScreen U2 (feat. Dolly Parton) - Torn 2026 Indie/Rock/Alt Track of the Week Winners Week 1: Ladytron - Caught in the Blink of an Eye Week 2: Mandy, Indiana - Cursive Week 3: Gorillaz (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson & Anoushka Shankar) - Orange County Week 4: James Blake - Death of Love Week 5: Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Minneapolis Week 6: sombr - Homewrecker Week 7: Charli xcx - Always Everywhere Week 8: Lana Del Rey - White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter Week 9: Gorillaz (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda & Black Thought) - The Moon Cave Week 10: Cameron Winter - Warning Week 11: beabadoobee (feat. The Marías) - All I Did Was Dream of You Week 12: Muse - Be With You Week 13: Jungle - Carry On Week 14: U2 - Song For Hal Week 15: The Strokes - Going Shopping Week 16: Lana Del Rey - First Light Week 17: Blossoms - Joke About Divorce Week 18: DMA'S - Heatin Park Week 19: Lykke Li - Happy Now Week 20: Mystery Jets - Black Sage Week 21: Lola Young - From Down Here Week 22: Jungle - The Wave Week 23: Evanescence - Tell Me When You've Had Enough Week 24: Olivia Rodrigo & Robert Smith - what's wrong with me Week 25: FKA twigs (feat. Lil Yachty) - On Your Mind Week 26: Muse (feat. Ellie Goulding) - Hush Week 27: Snow Patrol & Kylie Minogue - These Alarms Week 28: Jungle - Someday, Somwhere Week 29: Queens of the Stone Age - Easy Street Week 30: Charli xcx - Camera Week 31: Rachel Chinouriri - One song away from crying Week 32: The Big Moon - Fun Week 33: Phoebe Bridgers - I Can't Wait Week 34: Fontaines D.C. - Marianne Week 35: Olivia Rodrigo - serena joy Week 36: Fat Dog - Call It What You Want Week 37: Working Men's Club - Devout Week 38: beabadoobee - Write Me A Letter Week 39: CHVRCHES - Roses Week 40: Fontaines D.C. - Tongue Week 41: Cameron Winter - If You Turn Back Now [Live at Carnegie Hall] Week 42: Fontaines D.C. & ROSALÍA - Where Is Gone? Week 43: Hot Chip - Random Violence Week 44: CHVRCHES - Overthinker Week 45: Everything Everything - Poison Pop
Probably the final position I'd say then - I imagine there has been lots of back and forth between Sam's label and the OCC in the last 18 hours!
