Concerts

Dexter and the Moonrocks Share 10 Essential '90s Albums Ahead of Debut Album Release

Texas rock band Dexter and the Moonrocks, known for their hit single "Freakin' Out," reveal their top 10 '90s albums as they prepare to launch their debut album this Friday, October 2nd.

Consequence·Sep 30, 2026·via Consequence

Dexter and the Moonrocks Share 10 Essential '90s Albums Ahead of Debut Album Release

Crate Digging is a recurring feature in which an artist presents several albums within a theme that all music fans should know about. In this edition, James Tuffs of the Texas rock band Dexter and the Moonrocks takes us through 10 of his favorite albums from the 1990s. For more, check out our list of the best albums of 1996 .

Dexter and the Moonrocks are one of 2026’s biggest breakout rock acts, but they seem remarkably unfazed. “It’s a Lot” is the name of the lead single for their new album, Friends That I Don’t Like , and if you asked frontman James Tuffs how he’s adjusting to the newfound attention, that’s probably the response he’d give verbatim. As their viral single “Freakin’ Out” suggests, Dexter and the Moonrocks have won over thousands with an unapologetic authenticity about being stuck in the bullshit, battling depression and bad relationships, and trying to be better tomorrow.

Helping these melancholic meditations are arrangements that live in a very specific corner of late ’90s rock, grunge and post-grunge, alt-country, and pop-punk. They describe their style as “Western Space Grunge,” and whatever sound that conjures in your mind is pretty close to Dexter and the Moonrocks’ wheelhouse. It’s refreshing to hear a band like theirs resist the urge to sanitize, overproduce, or scale up for the sake of mass appeal; no, in Dexterland, it simply is what it is , and their slacker rock attitude makes them poised to connect to a new generation’s disaffected spirit.

Find Dexter and the Moonrocks Tickets Here

Nirvana — Nevermind

You know, it’s literally front to back, unbelievable. You could hear the heroin, you know what I mean? You could hear it. But just the melodies and the hooks that Kurt was able to come up with is unbelievable. I think he’s one of the best songwriters of all time. Not even lyrically, but just the melodies and — so guitar driven, but the structure of the songs are kind of poppy. And I think that influenced a lot of bands that came later. Funny enough, my favorite Nirvana song is actually from In Utero — “All Apologies.” That’s not me apologizing, that’s just the name of the song — that’d be a weird fucking way to apologize. But favorite off of Nevermind , probably “Lithium.” It’s so good.

Essential Track: “Lithium”

Stream Nirvana’s Nevermind on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Weezer — The Blue Album

Another front-to-back unbelievable album. It’s just the most Weezer that Weezer ever was, from the opening song to the closing song. I think the first track is “My Name Is Jonas.” Off the bat, like, whoa, this shit’s cool. This shit is Weezer. You can tell they’re wearing sweaters and shit, you know what I mean? But in a cool way. Their best song is “Undone,” in my opinion, dude. So cool. I love that long intro too — they’re like having a weird conversation and shit.

Essential Track: “Undone – The Sweater Song”

Stream Weezer’s The Blue Album on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Smashing Pumpkins — Siamese Dream

I really do think, out of all the grunge bands… not the most popular, but in terms of my taste in music, it’s probably the best Smashing Pumpkins. Just something about his voice, his songwriting, the guitar… it’s so perfect. The fuzz, it’s awesome. When we’re writing music as a band, that stuff usually comes later — when do we want to be big or when do we want to be vulnerable. But yeah, sometimes I feel the influence.

In terms of an essential track, I feel like I gotta fully look through, ’cause there’s so much heat on it. I feel like I gotta listen to the whole thing front to back real quick. Hold up. It’s probably “Mayonnaise,” but, like, “Today,” “Disarm,” “Spaceboy” — there’s so much.

Essential Track: “Mayonnaise”

Stream Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Pinback — Pinback

My favorite band of all time. I always say they have all the best aspects from all the great ’90s bands, kind of thrown into one. And that’s Pinback. So fucking sick. It’s their debut album, and their sound is so unique. I don’t even know how it did or what level Pinback ever got to, but they definitely deserve to be one of the biggest bands of that era. They were so good. And songwriting — they do little things that, man, it’s so simple but so good. I could nerd out and it’d take 15 minutes to explain. I’m not high enough for that right now, but it’s so sick, man.

I will say, “Crutch” is my favorite song off my favorite album from theirs, but their best song, in my opinion, is “Non Photo-Blue.” Like, if somebody has never listened to Pinback, that’s the song that they should try.

Essential Track: “Crutch”

Stream Pinback’s Pinback on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Blink-182 — Enema of the State

That has to be in there. That was my first favorite band ever. My dad had burned CDs, and one of them said Blink-182 on it, and I would just, every day — it was like a minute-and-a-half ride to school — so I would just listen to the first half of “What’s My Age Again?” and then get dropped off. Like, “Fuck you, Mom, this isn’t a phase.” Can’t go wrong with any of the songs on this one.

Essential Track: “What’s My Age Again?”

Stream Blink-182’s Enema of the State on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Nirvana — In Utero

I mean, fuck, they only had two albums in the ’90s. It’s not like you have any of their other albums in the ’90s to choose from, so might as well throw it in. I think it’s just more raw. The record sounded cheaper to make in a good way. It sounded more like Bleach than Nevermind in terms of the production, and I think that that fit their sound really well. Nevermind is their best album, though. It is. But In Utero has “All Apologies,” and that song is fucking perfect.

Essential Track: “All Apologies”

Stream Nirvana’s In Utero on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine

I have to imagine there wasn’t much that sounded like that beforehand. And there hasn’t really been much afterwards either. I mean, Tom Morello with an angry dude (Zack de la Rocha) just screaming at you is so fucking cool. They really had some of the best musicians on planet Earth in that band. Like, Tom Morello might be the greatest of the greatest. He’s so unique. Maybe the most unique guitar player, like, fucking ever, straight up. “Killing in the Name” is the essential track because that shit pumps me up. It makes me wanna go punch another hole in the wall up there.

Essential Track: “Killing in the Name”

Stream Rage Against the Machine’s Rage Against the Machine on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Smashing Pumpkins — Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Love that band so much, had to put them in here again. I think it was a little different from Siamese Dream . I feel like they just had a little more mature sound. They were a little older and, you know, he was bald, so he was in his bald era — or at least beginning his bald era. And I don’t know, there’s just a couple of tracks, specifically “Tonight, Tonight,” with all the strings and shit, where I’m just like, “This is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard,” and I still feel that way to this day. I’d be so embarrassed if it’s the wrong album, but I think “Tonight, Tonight” is on there for the essential track.

Essential Track: “Tonight, Tonight”

Stream Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Death Cab for Cutie — We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes

It was actually released in the year 2000, but fuck it. It’s way different from all these other bands, but it’s my second favorite band of all time. Death Cab for Cutie, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes . If I wanna be sad as shit, I’ll just sulk in that — I’ll throw on that album. It’s two albums before Transatlanticism; I mean, that’s probably their best album, honestly. ‘Cause that’s the one “Title and Registration” is on there, right? But for We Have the Facts , please listen to “Scientist Studies.” It’s so good.

I grew up on them, and a lot of this is because I grew up on it and just nostalgia. But Death Cab — my dad was bumping Death Cab so fucking much. He was going through some shit apparently. And I think their two ones that really did it for them was “Soul Meets Body” and “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark.” But those songs aren’t even in their top 10 best songs. Do you know “Blacking Out the Friction” by them? Check that one out too.

Essential Track: “Scientist Studies”

Stream Death Cab for Cutie’s We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

Radiohead — OK Computer

One of the best albums of all time. I mean, Thom Yorke is fucking so awesome, and that’s when he kind of became the weird, scary Thom Yorke. He’s like, “Oh, something’s going on with that dude.” And then Kid A happened, and I’m genuinely scared of that dude. But Kid A is my favorite Radiohead album. I genuinely love them. I don’t even know if Kid A has, like, fucking instruments in it, to be honest. Like, they used blenders and shit.

When I grew up, my dad was listening to a bunch of Radiohead. Again, he put me on more of the Kid A weird shit. Obviously I knew “Creep,” but I was listening to nothing but Kid A , and then I hear “Karma Police” specifically, and I was like, “This is that same band? Like, what do you mean?” I think they really captured the perfect energy for that album, and that might be just prime Radiohead.

Essential Track: “Karma Police”

Stream Radiohead’s OK Computer on Qobuz , Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD

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_Originally reported by [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/09/dexter-and-the-moonrocks-crate-digging-interview-90s-albums/)._