Every now and then, a band comes along that feels like a secret too good to keep, and Dexter and The Moonrocks are one of those bands. For years, they’ve had a small but loyal fanbase made up of listeners who stumbled across them along the way. Now, thanks to one song, that’s changing in a big way.
From Texas, Dexter and The Moonrocks have spent the past few years mastering a sound they proudly describe as ‘Western space grunge’, which is a mixture of country influences with heavy rock energy and a healthy dose of attitude. Formed in 2021, the four-piece has built their audience steadily through relentless hard work and great music.
Then came “Freakin’ Out”.
The track has become nothing short of a phenomenon for the band. It’s just surpassed a whopping 80 million streams, cracked the ARIA Top 50 for the first time at #49, reached #27 in New Zealand and exploded across social media thanks to the viral “remember who you are” trend, which has seen the song used in over 90,000 videos.
When asked why he thinks “Freakin’ Out” has connected with so many people, his answer is a simple one. “I think the world kind of sucks right now, and everybody’s freaking out a little, pun intended. I think people are just looking for something that’s real and authentic.”
That honesty sits at the core of the song. In an era where music can feel over-polished or manufactured, often aiming for the success that Freakin’ Out found naturally, it wears its emotion on its sleeve. “This is a song that is just angry and real, and it’s raw. I think people really resonate with that and need something like that. I think that’s why they like it.” Fox explains.
Listening to the track, it’s easy to understand what he means. There’s a frustration and catharsis to it, capturing a feeling that many have struggled to articulate over these last few years- the feeling that everything is moving too fast and everyone is just trying to keep their head above water. In terms of the sound, it’s particularly nostalgic, making it perfect for the “remember who you are” trend.
What makes the story even better is that Dexter and The Moonrocks didn’t necessarily expect this track to become the breakthrough. “When we were in the studio, I think we were like, ‘This is a good song, we like it’… but we’d had so many moments like that. We thought that with “Ritalin”, we thought that with “Autopilot”, we thought that with all these other songs. So I think we were very measured… James was like, ‘Yo, this might be the song that gets us to a million monthly listeners.”
At the time, a million monthly listeners seemed like a far-off goal. Today, the band sits at 8.3 million.
Recalling the moment he thought they might be onto something special, Fox shares, “For me, it was when we got the mix back. I was on a four-hour drive up a highway in Texas, and I got that first mix back, and when I heard the beat drop, I listened to that maybe 17 times in a row and was like, ‘Oh my god, this is gonna be a massive song.’”
The success of “Freakin’ Out” has transformed life for the band in ways that extend well beyond streaming numbers. Earlier this year, Dexter and The Moonrocks revisited a TikTok where they revealed their day jobs. This time, there was a significant update: they’d all quit and were now full-time band members.
“I mean, you have a lot of off-time now, but you’re also away from your family for 28 days in a row,” Fox shares on how the change has affected other aspects of his life. “I think it’s been really cool to be our own bosses and to be self-employed and set our own schedule. But we’ve also still worked really, really hard.”
That work ethic has been a constant throughout their rise. While social media can sometimes make overnight success stories seem commonplace, Dexter and The Moonrocks are a reminder that most “overnight” success can take, at the least, a few years to happen.
The next major milestone arrives later this year when the band travels overseas for the first time ever. Remarkably, despite their rapidly growing international audience, the members of Dexter and The Moonrocks have never left the United States. In fact, they don’t even have passports yet. That will change when they head to Australia to make their international debut at Strummingbird, alongside a massive lineup including headliner Post Malone.
For Fox, the trip is equal parts excitement and curiosity. “I personally love the Australian accent, so I think that’s going to be fun. I always love the cultural differences, I look forward to learning those… I want to go surfing, and I’m so interested in what playing to a different audience feels like.”
There are, however, a few aspects of the journey he’s less enthusiastic about. “I’m not looking forward to the 19-hour flight and the 15-hour time difference, also it’s gonna be y’all’s summer, right? It’ll be hot.” Fortunately, the prospect of playing in front of Australian crowds seems to outweigh any jet lag concerns.
Fox is particularly intrigued by Australia’s reputation for passionate rock audiences and energetic live shows. “We’re gonna have new songs out, we’re gonna have like, 3 more songs by then. So it’ll be interesting to play those. What I’m really interested in is what the Australian hardcore rock scene is. I feel it in my bones, y’all are crazy… I feel like the mosh pits and crowd surfing will be bigger, and I’m interested in that.”
It’s easy to imagine Aussie crowds embracing the band’s high-energy sound. Songs like “Bleach” already inspire chaotic crowd reactions in the United States, and Fox is eager to see whether local fans take things to another level, saying, “I think maybe it would be some of the faster-paced songs that we do… I’m just interested in the cultural response to those songs versus here in the States.”
Whether it’s the raw honesty of Freakin’ Out, the genre-bending sound they’ve coined as western space grunge, or simply the fact that they remain refreshingly grounded despite a rapid rise, Dexter and The Moonrocks are a band arriving at exactly the right moment. When they touch down for Strummingbird later this year, Australian audiences will get the chance to see one of rock’s most exciting new success stories just as things are starting to get really big.
Header photo credit: Derek Hockeymeyer
