The rock band leads the list with its release in nearly eight years.
Rock band Brand New nabs its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as Science Fiction starts atop the tally with 58,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 55,000 were in traditional album sales. The set was released Aug. 18 through the band's own Procrastinate! Music Traitors label, and is the first album from the band in nearly eight years.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Sept. 9-dated chart (where Science Fiction debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on Tuesday (Aug. 29).
Science Fiction is currently only available through streaming services and for sale as a digital album. A physical release on CD and vinyl LP is due Oct. 18. (A number of other albums have topped the chart in 2017 without a physical album release, including Drake's More Life, Future's self-titled album and HNDRXX, Migos' Culture and Big Sean's I Decided.)
Science Fiction is the third rock album to lead the Billboard 200 in 2017, following Arcade Fire's Everything Now (Aug. 19) and Linkin Park's One More Light (June 10).
Further, Science Fiction also debuts at No. 1 on the Independent Albums chart, as the set was self-released by the band. It is the first independently distributed album to top the Billboard 200 in 2017.
In 2016, five independently distributed albums led the chart: Metallica's Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (Dec. 10, 2016; released on the band's Blackened Records, distributed via Alternative Distribution Alliance [ADA]), Jason Aldean's They Don't Know (Oct. 1; on Broken Bow Records, distributed through RED Distribution), Frank Ocean's initially self-released Blonde (Sept. 10; on Ocean's own Boys Don't Cry), Blink-182's California (July 23; released through the band's Viking Wizard Eyes LLC, licensed to BMG and distributed by ADA) and The Lumineers' Cleopatra (April 30; on Dualtone via ADA).
Brand New made its Billboard 200 debut in 2003 with Deja Entendu, which arrived on the list dated July 5 of that year, debuting and peaking at No. 63. The group returned in 2006 with The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (No. 31) and then in 2009 with its previous studio set, Daisy (No. 6).
Brand New scores its first No. 1 a long 14 years, two months and four days after the act's chart debut back on July 5, 2003. The last act to wait longer for its first No. 1 was David Bowie, when Blackstar debuted at No. 1 on Jan. 30, 2016 -- 43 years, nine months and 15 days after he debuted on the list with Hunky Dory on April 15, 1972. Blackstar, of course, was released two days before Bowie died on January 10, 2016. Previous to Bowie, the last longer wait (than Brand New's 14-year gap) was tallied by Tyrese, when his Black Rose bowed at No. 1 on the Aug. 1, 2015-dated list -- 16 years, eight months and 18 days after his self-titled album hit the chart dated Nov. 14, 1998.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, rapper Kodak Black scores his highest-charting album yet, and second top 10, as Project Baby Two launches with 50,000 units (8,000 in traditional album sales). The mixtape album is powered largely by streams, as the title garnered 39,000 SEA units, translating to 58.6 million on-demand audio streams of the album's tracks. Kodak Black previously notched a No. 3-peaking set earlier in 2017 with his debut studio effort, Painting Pictures(71,000 units in its first week, 15,000 in album sales).
Kendrick Lamar's former No. 1 DAMN. moves 2-3 with 41,000 units (down 5 percent).
Rock band Neck Deep notches its first top 10 effort with The Peace and the Panicbowing at No. 4 with 32,000 units (mostly from traditional album sales, as the set sold 29,000 copies). The Welsh act previously reached No. 17 in 2015 with Life's Not Out to Get You (19,000 units in its first week, with 18,000 in sales).
The Peace and the Panic was released through Hopeless Records, and the set is the highest charting effort for the label in more than two years. All Time Low's Future Hearts was the last Hopeless release to go higher, when it debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the April 25, 2015-dated list.
Kesha's Rainbow falls from No. 1 to No. 5 with 31,000 units (down 74 percent), Khalid's American Teen retreats two spots from its No. 4 peak, as it moves to No. 6 with 29,000 units (down 8 percent), and DJ Khaled's Grateful -- which led the list for two weeks in July -- falls 3-7 with 27,000 units (down 20 percent).
Also, this week's top 10 is apparently brought to you by the letter "K": Kodak Black is No. 2, Kendrick Lamar is No. 3, Kesha is No. 5, Khalid is No. 6 and DJ Khaled is No. 7.
In other artist chart news: Ed Sheeran's former leader ÷ (Divide) slips 6-8 with 26,000 units (down 7 percent).
Rapper Dave East scores his first top 10 effort, as Paranoia: A True Story, arrives at No. 9 with just under 26,000 units (12,000 in traditional album sales). East previously hit the chart with Kairi Chanel in 2016, which debuted and peaked at No. 38.
Closing out the top 10 is Imagine Dragons' Evolve, slipping one rung to No. 10 with 25,000 units (down 2 percent).
