Coldplay’s 10th album, Moon Music, debuted on the chart at number one. Aside from the band’s debut album, Parachutes, in 2000, all nine of their studio albums have reached the top 10. Their latest marks Coldplay’s fifth number-one album, following the streak from their third to their six album (X&Y in 2005, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends in 2008, Mylo Xyloto in 2011, and Ghost Stories in 2014) and the band’s first number-one in a decade.

The album moved 120,000 units over the week, selling 106,000 copies and racking up 16.7 million streams (13,000 units). Those figures are the highest for the band since their seventh album, A Head Full of Dreams, sold 210,000 units in 2015. So why didn’t Dreams reach number one? The answer lies with Adele’s album 25, which was holding tight onto the top of the chart for three weeks at the time, with over a million copies sold (her album went on to take number one 10 times).

Moon Music also took number one on Top Album Sales. The album was released in several variations, including eight different vinyls, six CDs, and more than four different digital albums. The 29,000 copies they sold on vinyl alone is the most sales Coldplay has ever made of a single album in one week. To add more push to their already spirited release strategy, the band made a significant number of media appearances in the US, as did lead singer Chris Martin individually, appearing on morning and late-night talk shows as well as Saturday Night Live, revving up excitement for the album. The result was a long-awaited return to number one after their seventh and eighth albums, which leaned towards more experimental ideas.

With five number-one albums to their name, Coldplay holds the title of fourth-most number ones by a British band along with Pink Floyd and Wings (the latter, Paul McCartney’s band). Above them are the Beatles with 19, the Rolling Stones with nine, and Led Zeppelin with seven. Coldplay recently stated in an interview on Apple Music that they plan to retire after releasing their 12th studio album. If their remaining two albums both reach number one, they’ll be on equal footing with Led Zeppelin’s seven.

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” continued its historic run with its 14th week at number one. Only nine songs have ever lasted that long, which is the sixth-longest on record. Songs that have taken number one more than 14 times include “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (19 times), “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (16 times), and “As It Was” by Harry Styles (15 times). Can “Bar Song” tie for second place with 16 weeks before the holiday season returns to take over the charts?

Looking solely at chart debut songs, it’s already the second-best ever. Shaboozey had already been on the Hot 100 before with two tracks off the Beyoncé album Cowboy Carter, but “Bar Song” is his first time on the chart as the only lead artist and his first time reaching number one. His song is the most recent to accomplish this after “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X’s first Hot 100 hit, in 2019. Shaboozey’s song now shares second place, after Lil Nas X’s, for longest at number one with a single lead artist with Mark Ronson’s single “Uptown Funk” and the Los Del Rio song “Macarena.”

But there’s more to the state of the Hot 100 than just saying “Bar Song” is nearly unstoppable. While it’s certainly doing well—number one in streaming and radio and second in sales—it should be noted that the top 14 songs on the chart this week have all peaked at anywhere between number one and three (with the exception of Chappell Roan’s single “Good Luck, Babe!” that only reached number four) and that 10 of those songs have stuck around on the chart for at least 20 weeks now. Is it possible that, in this day and age where the final charts of the year are always dominated by holiday hits, that artists avoid putting out big new songs so they can completely bypass having to compete with perennial year-end classics? Another way to look at it: “Bar Song” may not actually see the end of its reign because of the holidays—in fact, it may enjoy a certain level of security as a result.

The reason a lot of songs appear to have moved up the rankings this week can largely be attributed to the Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s single “Timeless” dropping from its debut at number three down to 12, making space for a number of songs to reclaim their spots from two weeks prior. The way Sabrina Carpenter has kept three of her singles in the top 10 for seven weeks straight is also noteworthy. “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste” stood at numbers four, seven, and nine, respectively.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin did an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in the lead-up to the band’s latest album, Moon Music. Lowe’s interviews are among Apple Music’s most popular content, so while this didn’t come as a surprise in itself, something Martin said did: “We’re only going to do 12 proper albums, and that’s real.” He reiterated the same in several subsequent TV interviews, confirming it wasn’t some one-off statement. Artists announcing their intention to retire isn’t unheard of, but Martin has gone beyond simply expressing a desire to wrap things up, instead offering specific explanations of his plans and the rationale behind them.

Martin’s wish is for the entire Coldplay catalog to share a consistent level of quality and vision, showcasing the very best of what they have to offer, and setting that limit is a way to achieve this vision. In his words, “less is more.” He referred to artists like the Beatles and Bob Marley, who each stopped around 12 albums in, and fully self-contained works like the Harry Potter series. This intentionally imposed limit allows the band to maintain their extremely high creative standards, ensuring each of their projects is as good and meaningful as possible. At the same time, they can focus on the present, freeing themselves from the pressure of needing to constantly—and eternally—produce something new.

Even without a set limit defining the number of albums, time, and therefore youth, is inherently finite. The cycle of recording and touring has an impact on the personal lives and mental health of the members of the band. Rather than keep up an unsustainable pace and gradually fade, what Martin wants is a perfect legacy from start to finish. This doesn’t mean he’ll stop making music entirely or that Coldplay will go on indefinite hiatus. In fact, he talked about how, after the 12th album, the band might live on through things like side projects or compilations, with his hope being that they can pursue creative freedom in forms that escape the confines of “proper albums.”

From now on, people will be watching every move Coldplay makes over the next few years closely. In terms of his intentions, the comparison to Harry Potter is even more modern and apt than the Beatles or Bob Marley. Remember waiting for the final part of Harry Potter? Even after the curtain fell, Harry Potter remained a touchstone cultural juggernaut. In five or 10 years, what will Coldplay become?

Jimin’s album MUSE comes it at number 106 on the Billboard 200 as it finishes up its third month. The BTS member is at number 70 on the Artist 100. His single “Who” is number 25 on the Hot 100 and number 22 on Streaming Songs, plus numbers 11 and eight on the Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts, respectively.

The Stray Kids mini album ATE is at number 102 on the Billboard 200 and currently eighth for album sales, while the group is number 36 on the Artist 100.

ENHYPEN’s album ROMANCE: UNTOLD returns to the Billboard 200, now at number 187. UNTOLD is now number 13 on Top Album Sales, and ENHYPEN stands at number 66 on the Artist 100.

WOOSUNG’s album 4444 debuts at number 16 on Top Album Sales and number eight on Heatseekers Albums. The singer makes it to Emerging Artists for the first time, coming in at number 11.

LE SSERAFIM’s EP CRAZY is 17th for album sales, number 90 on the Global 200, and number 60 on Global Excl. US.

The P1Harmony EP SAD SONG is currently number 19 on Top Album Sales.

BOYNEXTDOOR’s EP 19.99 sits at number 33 on Top Album Sales, and the group at number 19 on Emerging Artists.

KATSEYE’s debut EP SIS (Soft Is Strong) is now number 50 on Top Album Sales and number four on Heatseekers Albums. The single “Touch” takes number 124 on the Global 200 and number 98 on Global Excl. US. KATSEYE is number 14 on Emerging Artists.

LISA’s single “Moonlit Floor” debuts at number 23 on Digital Song Sales and number 38 on the Global 200. LISA returns to the Emerging Artists chart, now at number 31.

JAEHYUN is number 26 on Emerging Artists.

Here’s an overall look at how K-pop is doing on the Global 200 this week: