Dexter and the Moonrocks

2021–2024: Formation and early years

James Tuffs had been friends with cousins Ryan and Ty Anderson since they were in 8th grade.^[5] After the three of them graduated high school, they all pursued jobs and higher education, until Tuffs' parents entered him into a songwriting contest without him knowing. Although Tuffs did not win, after some encouragement, he decided to form a band with the Andersons.^[6] Originally going by the name "James Tuffs and the Southern Trouble",^[7] the band would recruit drummer Ryan Fox from an ad online in late 2021^[8] and change their name to Dexter and the Moonrocks. Explaining the name, lead singer James Tuffs has said "I was thinking of something cool. My name is James. And Dexter and the Moonrocks sounds way cooler than James and the Moonrocks. There wasn't much thought put in. It was about that quick".^[9]. Drummer Ryan Fox has also stated that the "Moonrocks" part of the name is a reference to marijuana.^[10]

While various media sources have listed their hometown as being Abilene, they are from rural Throckmorton County, which is 70 miles northeast.^[11] By the band's own admission, their hometown has no local music scene to speak of, with Fox stating: "We had to drive like two-and-a-half hours just to get into a scene... and even then they'd pay us 300 bucks and tell us to go fuck off".^[12] The band has described early shows before they got signed as being very lightly attended affairs, with Tuffs recalling: "There was one where we showed up... and the only person there is the bartender. That's the one person there. And even the bartender, while we're playing, is like, 'Could you kind of keep it down?'... We booked a show there. We didn't keep it down. So, it was an experience, but those are the shows that you really learn from. It's good for you. We've played many of those."^[13]

In 2023, the band signed with Severance Records, an offshoot of Big Loud Records, where they would be the flagship artist. Severance Records was founded by Mike Easterlin and Steve "Stevo" Robertson, both of whom have had careers in bringing rock bands to prominence, with Robertson having signed acts like Paramore and Shinedown to major labels, while Easterlin had done talent development with bands like Blur, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nickelback.^[14] This opportunity meant that the band would have industry veterans promoting them, while also ensuring that they would not be lost in the shuffle of a bigger label. They agreed immediately to the signing.^[15]

2024–present: Rise to the mainstream

In late 2024, Dexter and the Moonrocks began seeing major success. That December, their song "Sad in Carolina" topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay charts, their first time on any Billboard chart.^[16] The next year, the band released the single "Ritalin", which also hit the top 10 on the same radio chart.^[17] Outside of alternative rock radio, though, these songs didn't get traction elsewhere.

The band's commercial breakthrough was "Freakin' Out", which became not only their first Billboard Hot 100 entry, but also their first top 40 hit.^[18] This rise has been attributed by Severence Records president Steve Robertson to the band's use of social media to promote themselves, saying of the band's drummer Ryan Fox "he understands internet culture better than anyone, as evidenced by the worldwide explosion of 'Freakin' Out'".^[19]

As "Freakin' Out" started getting traction in the US, it also started gaining success in the rest of the Anglosphere, hitting the top 40 in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as scraping onto the charts in the UK. Capitalizing off of this movement, the band was invited to play at Strummingbird Festival 2026, representing not only the first time they had scheduled a show in Australia, but also the first time they played any show outside of North America.^[20]

On May 27, 2026, the band released their follow up to "Freakin' Out", "12 Steps", featuring the band Treaty Oak Revival.^[21]

In July, Ryan Fox stated on the Whiskey Riff podcast that the band was working on their debut album, saying that the goal was having it released before the end of the year.^[22] That same month, they also dropped a new single, “If You Could Talk”.^[23] It was also announced that month the band would be playing at Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh later that year.^[24]

EPs

• Dexter and the Moonrocks (2021)
• Western Space Grunge (2024)
• Happy to Be Here (2025)
• Donkey Flats (2025)

Singles