Claim: One Direction made music.

Midnight Memories is the third studio album by British-Irish boy band One Direction , released on 25 November 2013 by Columbia Records , Syco Music and Sony Music . The album was described as having a `` slightly rockier tone '' than their previous efforts . It has become the fastest-selling album in Amazon UK 's history , breaking the record set by One Direction 's previous release , Take Me Home -LRB- 2012 -RRB- . The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 , making One Direction the first group in history to debut at number one in the US with their first three albums . The album was preceded by the release of the singles `` Best Song Ever '' and `` Story of My Life '' .   Upon the album 's release , Midnight Memories received mixed reviews from music critics . Many critics praised the lyrical depth and musical composition on the album , as well as the group 's level of involvement in the production process . However , others argued that the material was less memorable than their previous work and felt the themes were not as mature as expected . Despite being released five weeks before the year 's end , Midnight Memories nevertheless became the best-selling album of 2013 as listed by the IFPI , with sales of four million copies .