New Passion Pit and Gaslight Anthem Albums on Track for Big Debuts

During a relatively soft week for major new music releases, the latest albums from Passion Pit (‘Gossamer’) and the Gaslight Anthem (‘Handwritten’) appear poised to score impressively high debuts.

Billboard reports that “industry sources suggest” both new LPs should end up in the Top 10 on the charts for this week, with final sales numbers between 25,000 and 35,000 units for each.

Although neither release is expected to land at No. 1, the numbers still represent a significant improvement in first-week numbers for both bands; as Billboard notes, Passion Pit’s last album, 2009′s ‘Manners,’ moved 10,000 units during its debut week, while the Gaslight Anthem’s ‘American Slang’ sold 27,000. Neither broke the Top 10.

At the top of the charts, sources expect it to remain a two-way battle between Nas‘ ‘Life Is Good’ and the Zac Brown Band‘s ‘Uncaged’; although tracking numbers weren’t reported for either release, the article notes that “neither seem likely to sell less than Passion Pit or Gaslight Anthem.”

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering whether you should be one of those first-week buyers, you can check out our reviews of Passion Pit’s ‘Gossamer‘ and the Gaslight Anthem’s ‘Handwritten‘ right here on the site.