Photo by Brandon Sloter, courtesy artist
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Brand New appears to be on track for their first No. 1 album.

The band suddenly released their fifth album, Science Fiction, last week. According to industry forecasters, the record will likely secure the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart with a potential 55,000 equivalent album units in its first week. 

The album, their first in eight years, was released on Aug. 18, initially as a digital download and eventually released on streaming platforms.

If the album does top the charts, it would be only the third rock LP to do so this year, following records from Arcade Fire and Linkin Park. It would also be the first independent album to hit No. 1 this year.

The band's last album, 2009's Daisy, peaked at No. 6.