Midnight Memories

One Direction's third album in as many years takes the pogoing pop of their first two and gives it a stadium-ready boost. Lead single “Best Song Ever” hits slightly harder than normal, while ‘80s hair metal is writ large across the booming, Def Leppard-esque title track and the theatrical lasciviousness of “Little Black Dress.” But it's the ballads that benefit most from the upgrade, specifically the patient, sweeping majesty of “You & I” and the folk-tinged “Story of My Life”—the band's finest moment.