At their peak,One Directionwere considered the biggest boy band in the world. Today, they’re still regarded as one of the most successfulboy bands in history, with the likes of the Backstreet Boys and BTS.Despite only being active as a group for five years,One Direction embarked on four successful world tours, made special appearances on shows likeiCarlyandFamily Guy, and released five studio albums, all of which sold a total of 70 million copies worldwide by 2020.
These five albums are an impressive, albeit short, discography for a group that continue to make headlines. Since their indefinite hiatus began in 2015, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles have all released solo albums.Styles also veered into acting, with roles inDunkirk(2017) and Marvel’sEternals(2021).The setlists for their solo toursoften include One Direction songs, showing their continued respect for where they got their start.In the future, this will also serve as a tribute to Payne, who passed away in late 2024.
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The ranking that I decided on after a week’s worth of listening closely to each album and taking notes is one that I feel very strongly about. I’m pleasantly surprised by the order in which the albums ended up,and think itsays a lot about how One Direction evolved throughout their short career.The albums all include deluxe tracks, since those are the only versions available on Spotify (and because their deluxe tracks are incredible).
5Up All Night
Released: Jun 02, 2025
One Direction’s debut album,Up All Night, is a charming introduction to the quintet.They sound very different from the seasoned vocalists we’ve come to know today,with Styles being just 17 at the time, but that only adds to the album’s charm. The guys were fresh off ofThe X Factorin 2010, a show theydidn’t even win, and this album was their first large-scale project as a group after being eliminated in third place.
The first half ofUp All Nightis great. The singles, along with “More Than This” and “I Wish,” show the vulnerable side of their voices, while tracks like “I Want,” written by McFly’s founding member Tom Fletcher, lean into more upbeat elements of British pop-rock. Songwriting isn’t something that the members will really get comfortable with untilMidnight Memories, but they all participated in writing “Taken,” “Everything About You,” and “Same Mistakes.”
This album features songwriting credits from both Ed Sheeran and Kelly Clarkson.
By the second half of the album, its identity starts to fade.They throw in elements of electropop, dance-pop, and random guitar bits that don’t feel as consistent with the rest of the songs. There’s very little of Tomlinson and Horan from start to finish, but I will say that Payne sounds incredible. His voice stands out among the rest, being the one closest in its resemblance to how he sounds years later. It’s not a bad album by any means, but there isn’t a place for it any higher on this list.
4Take Me Home
Released: June 02, 2025
Take Me Homeis where the group develops the sound that many fans recognize as One Direction. It’s a much more consistent album altogether, with nothing feeling out of place.Every song is a youthful, realistic portrayal of certain emotions we’ve all felt when we were younger, no matter how dramatic they may be. This was also the first One Direction album I owned, and one I played over and over while my sister and I danced around our living room to “Kiss You” and “Rock Me,” a song we were much too young to understand at the time.
For that reason, it hurts to have it this low, but I just can’t deny how incredible their music gets with each release.This album features more recognizable moments from Tomlinson and Horan, whereas they were almost nonexistent onUp All Night.It also features slightly more songwriting from within the group. At least three members earn songwriting credits on five tracks, including “Last First Kiss,” “Summer Love,” and “Irresistible.”
“Don’t try to make me stay or ask if I’m okay
I don’t have the answer
Don’t make me stay the night or ask if I’m alright
Heartache doesn’t last forever
I’ll say I’m fine
Midnight, ain’t no time for laughing
When you say goodbye”
Their second album is one filled with catchy, energetic choruses and melodic verses guaranteed to have you jumping out of your seat or staring off into space as they sing about all the little things they love about you. The highest points onTake Me Homefor me are “Nobody Compares,” “C’mon, C’mon,” and “Kiss You,“all perfect pop songs that deserve to be played at full volume.I’d also reward Zayn with the honor of being the star of this album.
3Midnight Memories
Released: August 04, 2025
One Direction’s third studio album sees the group trying something new. While sticking to the boy band pop they’ve already perfected, they stray away from the McFly sound and swerve into a more stadium-worthy pop-rock.The first five tracks are electric.Starting with “Best Song Ever” is one thing, but to follow it up with “Story of My Life,” “Diana,” “Midnight Memories,” and “You & I” is absolute madness.
The rest of the tracklist is stacked with songs largely written by the members, with at least one member receiving writing credits on 15 of the album’s 18 tracks.Midnight Memoriesalso serves as the official introduction to the songwriting duo of Tomlinson and Payne, who would go on to write some of the most loved One Direction songs.There is clear improvement on this album in both the songwriting and the vocal performances, making it nearly perfect.
Personally, I see “Does He Know?” and “Something Great” as this album’s lower points. The former’s structure is a bit confusing, and the latter feels like it belongs on one of the previous albums in its production. Other than that, I can’t help but be impressed by this album time and time again.
2FOUR
Released: June 24, 2025
FOURis One Direction’s accurately titled fourth studio album,and their final album with five members.Malik’s departure from the group would be announced just over four months later in March 2015. Until then, Directioners were able to enjoy one of their best albums that would go on to be a fan-favorite (and, it seems, a favorite among the members).
From start to finish, every song that plays feels like the album’s best.You’re listening to “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” and, just when you’re thinking “Wow, that’s their best song,” “18” hits you over the head with its vulnerable lyricism. You never get a break from this feeling unless you’re not in the mood for “Once in a Lifetime,” in between two of the album’s most upbeat tracks. The order of the tracks isn’t completely perfect, but the songs nearly are. For me, it’s the first time one of their albums remains consistent or gets stronger as it continues.
“FOURis also an album that features instrumentals so captivating that, if you didn’t already know One Direction as a boy band, you might think they were a full-on pop band like 5 Seconds of Summer or The Vamps.”
For Malik’s last album with the group, he sure does put 110% into every line he sings. It’s also the first album where Horan properly stands out. The slight rasp of his voice fits perfectly in a song as iconic as “No Control,” while the softer side of his voice shines in “Fool’s Gold” and “Fireproof.“FOURis also an album that features instrumentals so captivating that, if you didn’t already know One Direction as a boy band, you might think they were a full-on pop band like 5 Seconds of Summer or The Vamps. Or is that just me?
1Made in the A.M.
Released: August 06, 2025
When I started this painful journey of ranking every album by one of my favorite artists, I was certain thatFOURwould end up on top. That is the album that I typically hear referred to as their best, and one that I feel has stood the test of time compared to the others. Now is also probably a good time to admit that my favorite One Direction album isTake Me Home, just so you know that my personal biases weren’t the only factor going into this list.
A One Direction album without one of their strongest vocalists seems like an impossible task on paper. When you listen toMade in the A.M.,however, it sounds pretty possible.I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss Malik’s voice.In fact, it hurts to know how incredible he’d sound on each of these songs. The truth of the matter is, though, that Tomlinson, Payne, Horan, and Styles do more than enough to make up for Malik’s absence. Nowhere on the album does it feel lacking vocal power in any way.
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The songwriting on this album is easily their best. Tomlinson and Payne teamed up to write songs like “What a Feeling” and “Long Way Down,” while the group came together to write its final track, “A.M.” What’s especially impressive about this album and its songwriting is thatevery track that was primarily written by one member sounds exactly like what their future solo music sounds like.“Never Enough” is a joyful Horan track that could be pulled from one of his three albums, while “Olivia” would fit right in onHarry’s House.
“Yesterday I went out to celebrate the birthday of a friend
But as we raised our glasses up to make a toast
I realised you were missing
We had some good times, didn’t we?
We wore our hearts out on our sleeve
Goodbyes are bittersweet
But it’s not the end
I’ll see your face again”
By the time I finished listening to this album, with tears in my eyes, I couldn’t believe I thought it would end up anywhere but at number one.Songs like “History” and “Walking in the Wind” already held special meanings in 2015, but, a decade later, they feel even more special.Above all,Made in the A.M.is an important artifact to hold close to your heart as a fan of a group who continue to mean so much to so many people.
