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- Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
We’ve been well, looking forward to some time off, but very excited for this album. It feels good to finally be at this point.
- So let’s talk about your new album is titled Friends That I Don’t Like. What does that title represent for the band, and how does it connect to the emotional world of the album?
There isn’t really too much meaning behind it, we knew we wanted it to be a sentence instead of a word or two so we pulled that line from “It’s A Lot.” It just felt right for the album.
- “It’s A Lot” deals with bottling things up, emotional exhaustion, and reaching the point where everything becomes overwhelming. What inspired the song, and did you know immediately that it captured the tone you wanted for the new record?
I think “It’s A Lot” was a song we weren’t really sure what it was about until after we finished the record. We were just so hyper focused on the album and making sure it sounded the way we wanted. It took some time to step back and understand it.
- “Freakin’ Out” has taken the band to an entirely new level, from topping Alternative Radio to reaching the Billboard Hot 100, earning a platinum certification, and surpassing 300 million global streams. How have you processed the scale of that song’s success while still trying to stay focused on the music?
I think we’re still adjusting and curious to see what things look like post album, but it’s important to not just go back to the studio and try to recreate “Freakin’ Out,” just continue to make things we’re happy with. That’s what got us here in the first place.
- The success of “Freakin’ Out” has introduced Dexter and the Moonrocks to a much wider audience. Has that changed the way you think about the band’s identity, or do you feel it has simply amplified what you were already doing?
I think “Freakin’ Out” brings a different look on the band. Before, I thought we were a niche/cool underground band, now being legitimately on the radar it changes everything. I do think in a way it makes us less cool. I’m still figuring out how I feel about that.
- The band has been teasing a collaboration with Avery Anna ahead of the album’s full tracklist reveal. What can you share about that collaboration, and what made her the right artist to bring into the world of Friends That I Don’t Like?
Avery Anna is someone we had discussed working with for a while, glad it happened.
- “If You Could Talk” reveals a more intimate side of the band as I read the song explores the experience of being away from home and separated from loved ones. Was that vulnerability difficult to embrace?
“If You Could Talk” felt relieving to write, just words and feelings I had bottled up for a while. I can’t wait until my son is older and can truly listen to that song. It means a lot to me to have those feelings in a song.
- “12 Steps” brought you together with fellow Texas band Treaty Oak Revival. What made them the right collaborators for that song, and how did their presence influence the track’s final sound?
Every name from Texas should wanna do a song with Treaty, they are already legends. We’re glad we got to do one with them.
- The album does a great job balancing the band’s guitar-driven Western Space Grunge sound with more emotionally, say, “exposed material“. How did you approach creating that balance across a full-length record?
The goal of this album was always for it to sound like Dexter and The Moonrocks, which is pretty easy to do if the right people are in the room. It was refreshing to work with like-minded people on this record, it made everything feel easier than it should have. Everyone understood what we were trying to make.
- You recently made your late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. What was that experience like, and did performing the song in that setting change in any way how you viewed the song or the band’s journey?
Seeing Jimmy Fallon was like seeing Mickey Mouse, you feel like he belongs inside a TV. It’s strange seeing him standing right in front of you.
- You’re currently on the second leg of a nearly sold-out headline tour before heading to ACL and Strummingbird Festival. How has the live show evolved alongside the band’s rapid growth, and what have you learned from playing increasingly larger audiences?
We’re constantly still learning as touring musicians on how to make the set better. I don’t think that will ever stop, we have plenty of room to grow. We’re always thinking about how to make the next show better.
- As Friends That I Don’t Like approaches, what do you hope the album communicates about Dexter and the Moonrocks beyond the success of “Freakin’ Out,” and what new territory are you most excited for listeners to hear and the band to go?
I think we just want this album to be heard, it’s been a long time coming. We’re excited for people to finally spend some time with it.
Pre-order Friends That I Don’t Like HERE.
Listen to “It’s A Lot” HERE and watch the music video HERE.
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