From Blue Collar to Mainstream: Dexter and The Moonrocks Release 'Like You (Like You)' Before Austin City Limits

Ahead of their set at Austin City Limits, country-rock group Dexter and The Moonrocks released “Like You (Like You)”, their first release since their sophomore EP, Western Space Grunge. Drawing inspiration from artists that range from Noah Kahan to Pink Floyd, the group finds their niche in “sad cowboy songs,” taking a modern, alternative rock approach to the sounds of classic country.

Backed in rich electric guitars and dynamic vocal layering, “Like You (Like You)” has the sincerity that makes it sound like it belongs in a garage jam session but the finesse and quality that bring the band their mainstream success. The band is composed of lead singer and guitarist James Tuffs, lead guitarist Ryan Anderson, bassist Ty Anderson, and drummer Ryan Fox, who come from humble beginnings; all formerly employed in blue collar industries in a small town in West Texas who started playing country western music together (as one does in small town West Texas) and quickly began to be influenced by the rock and grunge music they heard their parents playing at home.

Now with two EPs behind them, “Like You (Like You)” is the start of a new era for the band. The track opens with a bass-heavy riff, lyrically touching on finding independence and the fear associated with paving your own way. Dexter and The Moonrocks is unafraid to strip away the stigma of standing your ground: “You like to grow you like to change/I think I like to stay the same/Things that I have left to prove/Are the things I’d like to lose.”  

The band also makes it clear that they're no stranger to the pressures of social conformity and isolation. There's a "Like You (Like You)" lyric for that too: "I don’t wanna go again/I’m doing better living in my head/Don’t wanna go again/Be just like you.”

With a naturally talented vocalist, a modernized classic sound, and enlightened lyrics, Dexter and The Moonrocks is a band with the potential to make garage bands the next big thing in the realm of country-rock. With "Like You (Like You)" and a set on the Austin City Limits Stage, the band shows that they know the value in what they bring to the music scene – and they aren’t afraid to have fun while they show it off.