The opportunity to observe and study the evolution of a novel trait in real time is exceptionally rare. The recent appearance and rapid spread of two new morphs with different mating songs, purring and rattling (introduced in this study), in Hawaiian populations of the Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus) provides a unique chance to investigate this phenomenon. Songs of purring males have been shown to be attractive to female crickets and less detectable to a deadly, acoustically orienting parasitoid fly than songs of ancestral males. Purring males have now been found in five different populations throughout Hawai’i. The most recently discovered phenotype, rattling, has become widespread in one surveyed population. In order to understand how selection may shape these new signals, we characterized the initial variation in purring and rattling songs among and within populations at “time zero.” For purring, rattling, and ancestral males, we recorded calling and courtship songs from six long-studied sites and analyzed ten sound characteristics. We found differences in purring among populations for both calling and, to a greater extent, courtship songs. We also found that purring, rattling, and ancestral songs are spectrally distinct from one another. Crickets produce songs using specialized structures on their wings—however, it is unclear how, or even if, these well-known structures affect song characteristics in purring and rattling. Using standard landmarking techniques, we compared the wing morphology of males of different phenotypes and populations. This work continues to illuminate the mystery of how novel signals arise and spread through populations.