Photos: DEXTER AND THE MOONROCKS to Release FRIENDS THAT I DON'T LIKE Album
The group will make its late-night television debut following the Platinum certification of Freakin' Out.
Dexter and The Moonrocks has announced the release of its upcoming full-length album Friends That I Don't Like, set to arrive on October 2 via Severance Records/Big Loud Rock. To celebrate the announcement, the band has also released its new single 'It's A Lot,' with an accompanying music video, offering a glimpse of what's to come on the forthcoming project. Just in time for the new music, Dexter and The Moonrocks are set to make their late-night TV debut tomorrow night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they'll perform their viral smash hit 'Freakin' Out,' which just received an official RIAA Platinum Certification, marking the band's first-ever track to achieve the milestone.
Photo Credit: Derek Hockemeyer | Hi-res
Friends That I Don't Like embraces a bold, rock-forward sound, built around raw energy, guitar-driven melodies, driving rhythms, and an undeniable sense of momentum. Balancing the grit and attitude of rock with the band's distinctive sound, the collection showcases Dexter and The Moonrocks at their most dynamic and electrifying.
'For a long time, people have been struggling to place us as a band,' said drummer Fox. 'Coming up in the Texas music scene came with its own expectations and stigma. We always seemed to piss off the honky tonkers and underwhelm the old school metal heads, and to be quite frank, we never cared. People kept telling us we had to lean one way or the other, or else no one would ever care. This album feels like a culmination of us tuning out all the bullsh*t and just being the 4 blue-collar rockers from small-town Texas that we always were. This album feels like an ode to everything we love about our upbringing and everything we wanted to change when we were young. We couldn't be prouder of the work we've put in, and our ability to stay ourselves. I couldn't tell you what Dexter And The Moonrocks means. Are we country, grunge, alt rock, southern rock? Honestly, who cares. All I know is that we're here and we aren't going anywhere.'
Kicking off with striking guitar riffs that build in intensity, 'It's A Lot' sets the tone for Friends That I Don't Like from the very first moments. The song taps into the frustration of keeping things bottled up, feeling emotionally worn down, and reaching a point where it all becomes, quite simply, a lot. The accompanying music video brings those themes to life, capturing the song's sense of frustration, isolation, and emotional exhaustion through a cinematic visual narrative.
''It's A Lot' is about whatever the listener needs it to be about as always, but to me it hits on what has happened over the past year,' said guitarist Ryan Anderson. 'The effort put forward to make the most of a life-changing moment, though worth it, brings all brand new challenges. We couldn't be more thankful for where we are now, but to 4 kids from small town Texas, sometimes it can be a lot.'
Alongside 'It's A Lot,' Friends That I Don't Like will feature previously released tracks '
The album announcement arrives amidst a momentous summer for Dexter and The Moonrocks, with breakout hit 'Freakin' Out' topping the charts and continuing to dominate airwaves. The track spent three consecutive weeks at #1 at Alt Radio and five weeks at #1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, while continuing to hold strong in the Top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Dubbed song of the year by Hits Magazine and described as 'triumphant' by The New York Times, the song amassed more than 300 million global streams in just a few months.
Dexter and The Moonrocks' hot streak has continued throughout the summer, playing packed-house shows across the country on a nearly sold-out headline tour, in addition to select support dates for Shinedown and Turnpike Troubadours. Coming up, they'll bring their Western Space Grunge to festival stages at Rocklahoma, Strummingbird Festival, and a recently unveiled special slot on the lineup at Austin City Limits this fall. All tour dates can be found here.
About Dexter and The Moonrocks
They dreamed of being pool cleaners their entire lives. Instead, Dexter and The Moonrocks ended up being one of alternative rock's most undeniable breakout acts. At any given gig, you'll find goth chicks, cowboys, headbangers, heshers, rebels, and outcasts of all ages singing along to every word, tearing up, and generally rocking out in the moment. In barely five years, the Abilene, TX quartet unassumingly went from playing a local watering hole for less than 50 people to cracking the Billboard Hot 100, going mega-viral multiple times, and selling out shows nationwide. Their patented 'Western Space Grunge' tears down genre walls and builds timeless tunes on top of the rubble, delivering the kinds of anthems that sound just as appropriate for Lollapalooza '93 as they do for TikTok in 2033. Following success with 'Western Space Grunge' and 'Sad in Carolina,' the group dropped two EPs in 2025 – Happy to Be Here EP and Donkey Flats EP. In 2026, 'Freakin' Out' shot them into the stratosphere. It marked their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, rising to #33 in just a month. They landed at #1 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart, reeled in over 300 million global streams, and skyrocketed to No.1 at Alternative Radio. After quietly emerging as a phenomenon, they're about to get really loud in 2026 with their forthcoming full-length debut album on Severance Records/Big Loud Rock, a ton of touring, and more to come.
Photo Credit: Derek Hockemeyer | Hi-res
