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UK/Irish trio New Rules have debuted new single “Cheers.”Available now on all streaming platforms via Elektra Records/Parlophone.
The group commented, “We wrote ‘Cheers’ as lockdown was coming to an end and we were truly sick of being stuck inside. We see the song as a big middle finger to the hardest parts of the last 24 months. Now life seems to be getting back to normal, we can finally go out again, see people and do our favorite thing in the whole world: drink…. I mean play shows! To that we say ‘Cheers’”
Earlier this fall, the group announced their signing to Elektra Records (Parlophone in the UK) and shared new single and video “Really Wanna Dance With You.” On the track, breezy acoustic guitars and the group’s signature three-part harmonies underline a recollection of mustering enough courage to break the ice with an attractive stranger at the other end of the bar. Sweety High praised the single’s “catchy chorus and … beat that's impossible to resist,” while Wonderland Magazine raved “New Rules are set to become the next big thing.”
We spoke to the boys on their recent gig at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London as well as their new song "Cheers" and here's how it went:
You've just played the iconic Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, how does it feel to be back on stage especially after a long time of not being able to do so?
We’re so glad to be back! It was coming up to 2 years since our last run of shows, and in that time, we worked a lot out with regards to what we want to sound and come across like as a live band, so we couldn’t wait to show that off. The pandemic showed us how easily it can all be taken away, and so for the sake of our fans, ourselves and all the people who rely on and have made gigs a huge part of their lives, we just want to be on the road as much as we can
Lockdown has been very hard on everyone, how did you experience it as artists?
Obviously not being able to tour was difficult, as it’s always been the payoff for us, and what we look forward to most. Without the pandemic I’m not sure we would be the band we are today, though. We’d been working and touring non-stop since 2019 and having the time off has made us much better writers. It also forced us to adapt and explore new ways to spread the word about our band from home, and we taught ourselves how to produce in our spare time. We’re total control freaks and the thought of being able to do absolutely everything in-house is very exciting…if we could stitch our own merch together we probably would.
Cheers is your latest track which is out on Friday, what is the song about?
“Cheers” was written on zoom with two friends of ours based out in LA. The song is about celebrating the end of a relationship that just wasn’t right for you, but not necessarily looking back in anger. The tag line “cheers to being over you” is intended to be uplifting, and comes at a perfect time as we can all hopefully start to turn the page on the pandemic and the awful year everyone’s had. We also used it an excuse for us to drink on stage this tour… (so we may or may not have had that in mind when we wrote it 🥺🥺🥺)
You've shared the stages with artists like Little Mix and Julia Michaels, what has been the highlight?
The highlight for us is always being able to learn from the artists we’re touring with, whether it’s how they conduct themselves professionally, with fans, or on stage. The last support tour we went on was with Picture This, who we’re big fans of and we learned a lot from watching them perform. Alec got his first tattoo off their guitarist, Owen, so that’s probably his personal highlight. Also just getting to play iconic venues which we hope to headline one day too, and in some cases have done, has been really memorable in our journey as a band.
You're very present on social media, what has being online taught you as an emerging band?
It’s the greatest marketing tool in the world. You can spend all the money you want on ads and billboards, but someone can post a video of them spitting a grape into a friend’s mouth and it’ll get 12 million views. mental. It took us a while to crack Tik Tok, and it wasn’t until we started doing our name song series that we caught some traction and things began to snowball. Finding a lane that was original definitely helped us. In terms of how we are online, we try to be as honest and real as we can, as that works hand in hand with how we want our music to be perceived. We’ve not got much to hide really. apart from Nathan’s browser history maybe.
"Really Wanna Dance With You" is an anthem to being attracted to someone you've just met. What is the inspiration behind it?
Really Wanna Dance With You is actually based on a true story. The three of us wrote it in our home studio after a night out, and it captures the moment Alec found the courage to go talk to a girl at a bar. That’s where the conversational lyric of the record comes from, we wanted to keep it as real as possible, and the raucous pub feel of the track was intended to set that scene…
You're so young and so successful already, how are you getting used to that?
The three of us have never let anything get to our heads (or if it has, let it stay there for too long), whether we’re humbling each other or it’s our families and friends back home keeping our feet on the ground. But we also try to stay focused on what we want this band to achieve, and we’re definitely not there yet which we keep in mind, and that helps us process things and then keep moving forward with them.
What is New Rules' dream?
We have three goals we often refer to. We want to sell out stadiums and tour around the world. One day when someone sits down to write a song, we want them to say “i feel like writing something that sounds like a New Rules song”. And lastly, when you google our band we want to be what comes up first, not the Dua Lipa song.. Although it is a belter.
What are you working on next?
There’s a lot of new music in the pipeline, which we’ll be releasing as much of as we can without our label getting tired of us. We’re also about to have talks about when we’ll be touring next, which, covid permitting, will finally see us out playing shows in the States and Europe. There is lots we’re looking forward to and can’t wait to share with everyone!
Stay tuned for more New Rules!
Words: Sal F.
Photos: Gianmarco R.
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