As a self-proclaimed music enthusiast, there’s this constant motivation inside of me to find something new. I’d continuously stream until I’m absolutely sick of it…and then have the strong urge to do it all again. The only downside? Just as I reach the brink of obsessing over an artist and their discography, they become an overnight sensation, and the songs I grew attached to are instantly shared with the rest of the world.
However, New Rules seemed to be the exception. For three years they’ve stayed my somewhat a little secret. While their stardom is limited to places like select European countries, Australia, and the Philippines (where several of their songs have charted), the band has managed to accumulate over one million followers on Tiktok. On Tiktok, a stripped-down version of their original song Pasta had reached two million views and even just a twenty-four-second cover of Måneskin’s Beggin’ went viral with twenty-six million views. But with all these achievements bestowed upon them, who even is New Rules?
Banding together in 2019, the London-based trio consists of English-Irish members Nathan Lambert, Alec McGarry, and Ryan Meaney. The multi-talented musicians give us a glimpse of their soft-pop sound where they serve as guitarists and vocalists. Their natural aptitude for songwriting and producing (proved by numerous credits to their name) rightfully earned them a spot as opening acts for three-time Grammy-nominated Julia Michaels and former girl group Little Mix the same year New Rules went public. After songs started to climb up in streams alongside a year-long hiatus in 2020, the band went from independent to involved with the world-renowned Elektra Records (The Band Camino, Paramore, Destiny’s Child). The signing to their record label in 2021 signaled the start of a new era.
Even now, they continue to make a name for themselves with their ongoing series of name songs. This was probably a common experience throughout our childhoods, but have you ever stepped into a gift shop, and stumbled upon a vast array of personalized keychains, only to not find your name? Because I don’t know about you, but it was disheartening to never find my name on those while I grew up. It only seemed to get worse from there as I fell in love with the art of music. Songs like One Direction’s Olivia and Diana, Dolly Parton’s Jolene, and Fountain of Wayne’s Stacy’s Mom; they’re iconic all the same, but never managed to represent ethnic names in the mass media.
Now I have since accepted the fact that a name as rare as mine won’t be appearing anywhere anytime soon. But it’s still difficult to embrace it, especially when it’s naturally been mispronounced or anglicized. I mean, recently someone pronounced my name as duh-nee-zee-uh instead of duh-nee-zuh, and there isn’t even an extra i in my name! This is why New Rules’ name songs series, and later on the official name songs EP meant so much to me. It was like a breath of fresh air, hearing names that were practically non-existent in the musical world or otherwise had never been seen before, being sung with such ease, passion, and most of all, joy.
Although I can only hope that I’ll get a name song one day, contrary to popular belief, that isn’t the only reason why I love this band so much. Their overall impact within their tight-knit community of fans circles back to their song Pasta – at first glance, it’s just a single with a silly name, right? It’s also their most popular song to date, but it speaks of an emotional message that can defy any number. The overall theme is all about learning to forget about the societal pressure that comes with your body type, because it doesn’t define your beauty, and that it’s perfectly okay to eat pasta or whatever you prefer, whenever you’d like. It’s something everyone can resonate with, whether you’re an old fan, such as myself, streaming them all day long, or someone who’s just heard of them through this article.
Yet on top of meaningful messages, these sweet guys also have infectious melodies with a storytelling aspect that’ll suck you in until you’ve gone through their entire discography and managed to take yourself on a personal journey of absolute chaos behind the scenes that will have you become a fan of them. Coming from personal experience, it is so special being a fan of this band because, at the end of the day, they’re three best friends who pour their hearts into both making music and love for their supporters. It’s something I hope everyone gets an opportunity to witness for themselves (as I will in LA!).
So you heard it here first. Amidst the news of their new mixtape landing across several music platforms this June (the third), named after their titular track Go the Distance, it won’t be long before they do so and become the biggest band in the world (next to 5 Seconds of Summer, of course). So I suggest sitting back, enjoying a bowl of pasta, and giving New Rules a follow before you regret it. Because although their skyrocketing stardom all started with a name song, soon New Rules itself will become a name everyone will remember.
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