One Direction’s new ‘History’ video is an epic flashback for the band’s fans

Whose hair has improved more dramatically: Harry’s or Liam’s?

That’s just one of the questions One Direction fans might entertain while watching the British boy band’s music video for “History,” which appeared early Tuesday on YouTube.

Intercutting new performance footage with clips from the group’s early days, the video shows how far 1D traveled over the course of its six-year run, from coming together as a bunch of fuzzy-headed youngsters on the U.K. edition of “The X Factor” to filling stadiums around the world as stylish international pop stars.

“History” is the latest single from “Made in the A.M.,” which came out late last year, not long after Zayn Malik famously left the band and just before 1D began an indefinite hiatus that seems less likely to end with each passing day.

On Sunday, Malik tweeted what appeared to be the cover art for a solo single, “Pillowtalk,” evidently due Friday. And last week, Louis Tomlinson became a father when ex-girlfriend Briana Jungwirth gave birth to a baby boy in Los Angeles.

Twitter: @mikaelwood