When they first formed, the boys in Dexter and The Moonrocks simply wanted to make a living through music. It started with a short list of goals: pay the bills by writing songs and book a couple tours. Now, a few years into the band’s existence, they are playing major festival stages, releasing chart topping hits, and each new song is received by fans with feverish anticipation. The vision may have been a little smaller when they were playing to empty dive bars in Abilene, but they have wildly surpassed those early dreams, and then some. These four friends from small-town Texas meshed the country and western of their childhoods with the grunge they fell in love with as teenagers and landed on top of the charts. That intoxicating combination has led to the quartet expanding their early humble vision to accommodate where the music has led them: they want to be the best damn rock band in the world.

dexter and the moonrocks

The group–which consists of James Tuffs (lead vocals and guitar), Ryan Anderson (guitar), Ty Anderson (bass), and Fox (drums)--first broke through in 2021 with “Couch,” which captivated audiences thanks to its enchanting melancholy. On the live version of “Couch,” they showcased their rock bona fides, spicing it up with a fast, electrifying backend.

They continued to refine their grunge and alt-country infused rock sound, releasing one-off singles and a live EP before unearthing their breakthrough project, 2024’s “Western Space Grunge.” That EP is bolstered by “Sad in Carolina,” their first radio single and one that happened to hold No.1 on the alternative rock charts for seven weeks. The EP title became a way for fans to describe the band’s sound: a versatile, genre-busting style they were quickly becoming known for across the US. “It's a really cool way for us to not box ourselves into a certain sound,” Tuffs explains. “It homes in on what we love while leaving room to explore new ideas.” The group’s live chops were further on display with their cover of Tyler Childers’ “Messed Up Kid,” a cut they offered as a gift to fans as a thank you ahead of new music in 2025. It, too, gained its own viral success and further elucidated the concept of “western space grunge.”

All this has led to their most focused and powerful statement to date, the “Happy to Be Here” EP, which signals their second release under Severance Records—a new label in partnership with Big Loud Rock. It’s their most confident and mature collection to date. The six-track collection is led by “Ritalin,” a slow-burning, stadium-ready anthem that is quickly becoming one of the most popular songs within the band’s discography.

“I think a lot of people are connecting with the song that may not have a direct relationship with drug abuse or issues with prescription medication,” Fox explains. The layered guitar melody and Tuffs’ powerful, contemplative performance gives the song a cathartic energy that fans have latched on to. “This is the part where I freak out/ Don't know what to do/ Said you wanted just a rebound/ All I ever do is shoot,” Tuffs sings over explosive drums and a head-nodding bassline. He turns a specific observation into something every listener can identify with through the power of captivating melody.

It’s this blend of specificity and relatability that has helped Dexter and The Moonrocks move from their small-town beginnings to where they are now, on the precipice of changing the face of rock music, both in Texas and nationwide. “We've been making good music for a while now, but on “Happy to Be Here”, you can hear how confident we sound,” Fox explains. Despite their desire to stretch their scope across the nation and across the globe, the band still attributes their Texas roots for the secret sauce that makes them one of a kind. “It’s Texas and then it's 49 other states,” Fox says with a laugh. “My ego is like, we’re from the greatest state of all time, so we need to make music worthy of that.”

For Tuffs, the band’s success has made once seemingly impossible dreams their new reality. “The initial goal was to be where we’re at now, paying the bills doing something that we love. I could happily be here for the rest of my life,” he explains. “Now, though, we're going to be the best band we can possibly be.”