New Rules, the British-Irish trio talk pandemic gigs, maturing as musicians and the never-ending indecisiveness of the creative mind.
Photography: Charlie Barclay Harris
If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, we have news for you; there’s a new boyband in town and they’re not shy about it.
British-Irish trio New Rules are taking the music industry by storm one single at a time. Dubbed ‘post-One-Direction’ mania, their fans not only elevate, but cement their current status as the current boyband on everybody’s playlist.
Comprising members Ryan Meaney, Alec McGarry, and Nathan Lambert, New Rules have garnered a significant amount of attention for their heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies. With a charismatic stage presence and a steadily growing discography, they explore love, life, and self-discovery. Their relatable storytelling and fresh sound have captivated fans worldwide, making them a standout act in the music industry. As they continue to evolve and innovate, New Rules promises to be a band to watch.
We sat down with New Rules to discuss their single Ghost Town and what makes them tick—FAULTs and all.
What is the most important thing that you want people to take away from Ghost Town?
I think one of the main reasons we wanted to put Ghost Town out was because we wanted people to see the maturity that the song carries. It’s a little different to the things that we’ve done in the past. It’s got the same characteristics as our usual material, but it’s still contrasting with the first songs that we released.
What drove you to write it?
We still have a bit of leeway in terms of the things that we put out, and this is a side of the band that we have never shown to people before. And we’re hoping that people will be pleasantly surprised. We wrote this song about two years ago, and it’s been stuck in our Dropbox for that long. But, we always knew we loved it; we were just waiting for the right time to release it. At that time, we were on a promotional trip in America and had the opportunity to sit down with a producer we were huge fans of named John Ryan. We regularly listened to his music, as he is an artist we deeply admire and then the song happened in about an hour.
From your career thus far, can you remember the moment that defined your lives into ‘before/after’?
I think a moment of realisation happened when we were going to different countries and seeing people react the same way, or sometimes maybe even crazier than here. We went to Mexico in December 2018, and MTV LA—promoted a gig for us. We were talking about numbers and they organised a venue that could sustain about 350 people or something like that. We were expecting about 50 people to show up and we got double that number. An hour before the doors opened, people were already lined up outside. We didn’t expect any of that to happen. And there’s just little moments like that that constantly remind us that our lives aren’t ordinary anymore.
Does the ‘boyband’ label ever bother you?
I think we’ve kind of embraced it by now. I mean, we’re called New Rules; that’s a pretty standard name for a boyband. We’re not shy of that and we have a lot of appreciation for other boybands. What bothers us is the stigma around the name. If we’re a boyband, that doesn’t mean we’re not releasing quality music. Musicianship doesn’t get lost.
You have a tight-knight relationship with your fans. How do you take that responsibility?
It’s the most rewarding thing. You respect them and they respect you. The one thing that we disliked about doing shows during COVID was the fact that we weren’t allowed to interact with our fans when what we try to do with our band is build a community around it. What makes touring special is when you get on the ground and talk to the people that are consuming what you’re making. I think a lot of times it goes in hand with being in a pop band. The culture around it, like obsessive fan mania and everything. And that’s so special. I think the fact that we get to benefit from that, whether you want to call us a boy band or not, I think we have fans that are just so, so passionate.
Are you always on the same wave-length when it comes to your creative process?
It’s interesting because, obviously, sometimes, when you’re trying to get aligned on something and one or two disagree, then it’s difficult being in a group. But at the same time, it’s quite a nice thing to have two other people in the exact same position as you, because you know it could just be you against a label that doesn’t back you or a management team that doesn’t share your vision. Whereas, it’s good that we have each other’s backs, and at the end of the day, we do everything together.
What is something you’d never compromise on?
None of us are snobby or fussy about what we release. What we don’t want is to put out something that isn’t authentic, that is completely unrelated to who we are as a band. We’re very open to trying new things, though, and we’re not scared to be wrong.
Do you feel like you’ve got your sound defined to a T?
We’re still very much growing and our sound is ever-evolving. We don’t really need to sound like anything specific just yet. It’s quite nice. Just been able to test the water with different songs. I think Ghost Town is something that does that. It’s quite unique in that way.
What is your FAULT?
I think as a group, we can be quite indecisive. We go back and forth on things quite a lot.