# Fifth Harmony (album)
**Fifth Harmony** is the self-titled third studio album by the American girl group [Fifth Harmony](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifth-harmony), released on August 25, 2017 by Syco and [Epic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-records). It was the group's first album as a quartet, following the departure of [Camila Cabello](https://www.edgepedia.org/camila-cabello) at the end of 2016, and their final studio album before the group went on indefinite hiatus.[1](https://www.sonymusic.com/epic/fifth-harmony-to-release-third-album-fifth-harmony-august-25th-2/) • [2](https://time.com/4807958/fifth-harmony-foursome-down/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Fifth Harmony, self-titled third studio album |
| Release | August 25, 2017, Syco/Epic Records[1](https://www.sonymusic.com/epic/fifth-harmony-to-release-third-album-fifth-harmony-august-25th-2/) |
| Lineup | Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Normani Kordei, performing as a foursome after Camila Cabello's departure[2](https://time.com/4807958/fifth-harmony-foursome-down/) |
| Lead single | "Down" featuring Gucci Mane, described by the label as the group's best sales debut and the number 1 most-added song at both Top 40 and Rhythmic radio[1](https://www.sonymusic.com/epic/fifth-harmony-to-release-third-album-fifth-harmony-august-25th-2/) |
| Critical score | Metacritic metascore of 64, based on 8 critic reviews (3 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative)[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/fifth-harmony/fifth-harmony/critic-reviews) |
| UK chart peak | Number 10 on the Official Albums Chart; also peaked at number 6 in Ireland and number 15 on the UK Albums Streaming Chart[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/) |
| Notable production | Stargate, DallasK, and Kygo; "Angel" was produced by Skrillex[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0003145706) • [6](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/08/fifth-harmony-self-titled-album-review/) |
## Background and release
Fifth Harmony was formed on the 2012 season of The X Factor USA, and by 2017 the group consisted of [Ally Brooke](https://www.edgepedia.org/ally-brooke), Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Normani Kordei after Camila Cabello left at the end of 2016 to pursue a solo career.[2](https://time.com/4807958/fifth-harmony-foursome-down/) The album was announced in July 2017, a month after the June release of the lead single "Down" featuring [Gucci Mane](https://www.edgepedia.org/gucci-mane). According to the label's press release, "Down" marked the group's best sales debut and was the number 1 most-added song at both [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) and Rhythmic radio.[1](https://www.sonymusic.com/epic/fifth-harmony-to-release-third-album-fifth-harmony-august-25th-2/)
The group recorded with a roster of established producers. Their artist profile on AllMusic lists contributions from DallasK, Stargate, and Kygo among others.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0003145706) "Angel" was produced by Skrillex, whose floaty production under pitch-shifted vocals led Spin's reviewer to call the track promising apart from a single that dated quickly.[6](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/08/fifth-harmony-self-titled-album-review/)
## Songs and style
The album opens with "Down," which Pitchfork's review described as carrying practically the same hook as the group's 2016 hit "Work From Home," supported by the pseudo-tropical keyboard sound that had spread across streaming playlists.[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/) AllMusic characterized the record as a sophisticated production on which the former X Factor contestants completed their transformation from a youthful pop outfit into a mature, adult contemporary R&B entity, with the four members' most personal music and best production to date.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/fifth-harmony-mw0003095877)
Reviewers singled out several tracks. Spin highlighted [Lauren Jauregui](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauren-jauregui)'s guest spot on Halsey's "Strangers" as an example of the subtlety the group was capable of, and noted "Make You Mad" as a song that opens quietly before returning to tropical-house conventions.[6](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/08/fifth-harmony-self-titled-album-review/) Discussion among fans frequently singles out "Deliver," "Don't Say You Love Me," and "Bridges" as album standouts.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/fifth-harmony-mw0003095877)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. The album scored 64 on Metacritic from 8 reviews, with three positive and five mixed ratings and none negative.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/fifth-harmony/fifth-harmony/critic-reviews) The New York Times gave it an 80, calling it "potent and overflowing with sugary pleasures, full of military-grade pop production and laser-targeted singing." Rolling Stone, at 70, called it "the group's most cohesive album yet and a satisfying introduction to what Fifth Harmony can be capable of in their new era." [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly), at 67, judged it "a harmless record that doesn't quite demand a second listen."[3](https://www.metacritic.com/music/fifth-harmony/fifth-harmony/critic-reviews)
Pitchfork's review was less favorable, judging that the group fell short of the songwriting standard of their earlier work and calling the album too safe and by-the-numbers compared with their previous records.[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/) The Guardian described it as "frustratingly patchy pop," reading it as simultaneously a statement of intent and "a hastily cobbled together swansong."[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/aug/27/fifth-harmony-third-album-review-syco-camila-cabello) Spin titled its review around the idea that the group's first album without Cabello "feels like a placeholder."[6](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/08/fifth-harmony-self-titled-album-review/)
## Chart performance
In the United Kingdom, the album entered the Official Albums Chart at number 10, spending one week in the top 75, and peaked at number 7 on the Albums Chart Update and number 11 on the Albums Sales Chart. It reached number 9 on the Scottish Albums Chart, number 6 on the Irish Albums Chart, and number 15 on the UK Albums Streaming Chart.[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/)
The album's lead single had a distinctive online result: in August 2017, "Down" was named Twitter's song of the summer for 2017, topping the most-tweeted-about songs between May 26 and August 29 and beating "Despacito," which that summer had tied the record for the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 number one at 16 consecutive weeks.[10](https://time.com/4922366/twitter-song-summer-fifth-harmony/)
## Context in the group's catalog
Fifth Harmony followed the debut *[Reflection](https://www.edgepedia.org/reflection-fifth-harmony-album)* (2015) and *7/27* (2016), the latter era of which produced "Work From Home," the group's biggest hit.[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/) The self-titled album proved to be the group's last: after its release, the members went on to solo careers, and the group has reunited only for occasional appearances.[2](https://time.com/4807958/fifth-harmony-foursome-down/)
## References
1. [Fifth Harmony To Release Third Album 'Fifth Harmony' August 25th, Sony Music press release](https://www.sonymusic.com/epic/fifth-harmony-to-release-third-album-fifth-harmony-august-25th-2/)
2. [Fifth Harmony Discusses Finding a Groove as a Foursome on New Song 'Down', TIME](https://time.com/4807958/fifth-harmony-foursome-down/)
3. [Critic Reviews for Fifth Harmony, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/fifth-harmony/fifth-harmony/critic-reviews)
4. [FIFTH HARMONY – FIFTH HARMONY, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/)
5. [Fifth Harmony: Biography, Discography & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0003145706)
6. [Review: Fifth Harmony's First Album Without Camila Cabello Feels Like a Placeholder, Spin](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/08/fifth-harmony-self-titled-album-review/)
7. [Fifth Harmony: Fifth Harmony Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fifth-harmony-fifth-harmony/)
8. [Fifth Harmony: Fifth Harmony Review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/fifth-harmony-mw0003095877)
9. [Fifth Harmony: Fifth Harmony review – frustratingly patchy pop, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/aug/27/fifth-harmony-third-album-review-syco-camila-cabello)
10. [Move Over, 'Despacito' – Twitter Has Crowned an Unexpected Song of Summer, TIME](https://time.com/4922366/twitter-song-summer-fifth-harmony/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2010s albums › Second and third albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license