Sacred Trust / After You're Gone competed for the number one position in the Christmas week issue of the UK Singles Chart, and Girls Aloud came out on top with their song "Sound of the Underground". Girls Aloud later released their own version of "Sacred Trust" on the rarities disc of their 2006 greatest hits album "The Sound of Girls Aloud". "Sacred Trust / After You're Gone" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart on December 22, 2002, the same day that their rivals Girls Aloud reached number one with "Sound of the Underground". The single sold 147,000 copies compared to first week sales
Girls Aloud was increased to £30 million the following year, following Cheryl Cole's appearance on "The X Factor". All five members were included in a 2010 list of Britain's richest stars under 30. Reviews of Girls Aloud's debut album noted the high quality of the album compared to output from other reality show contestants. In 2004, David Hooper of BBC Music exclaimed that "Girls Aloud are currently British pop royalty [...] in the ultra-fickle world of TV-generated pop, Girls Aloud have real staying power." Andrew Lynch of entertainment.ie said, "Girls Aloud really shouldn't have made it as far as a second album.