On Nov. 19, 2026, I spoke with Matt and Nye from Crossing I’s Dotting T’s. Originally from Southern California, the band joined Harrison Gordon on tour as an opener. Performing at the 29th Street Ballroom, their set was electric and set the tone for the bands that followed. It was a memorable show — one of the first times I truly missed being part of an energized crowd.
We talked about their growth as a band, the stories behind their songs, and what it’s been like connecting with new audiences on the road.
Can you guys introduce yourself and where y'all from?
Matt: We are crossing eyes, dotting t's from Southern California. We originated in Orange County and now we're kind of all over Los Angeles. I'm Matt and play lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
Nye: Yeah, I'm nye, I play lead guitar. So back off Matt. Don't hurt my style haha. I do backup vocals as well.
Awesome! So how are y'all enjoying Austin so far? Have y'all had the chance to explore or listen to any good music here?
Matt: We haven't got much chance to explore yet, I would say.We were stuck doing laundry all morning and showering because we drove overnight from El Paso to get here for this interview and session. So. Uh, we haven't had too much time to explore, but we have like an hour before the show.
Nye:We wanna walk around.
Matt:We wanted to see Sixth Street and stuff.
Matt:We played the same venue, the ballroom, about a year and a half ago.We didn't have any time, we pulled up basically for our set. And then we had to leave like right after.We didn't have any time to visit anything or check out anything. So we want to definitely, this time
Nye: We're staying overnight this time, so we're gonna take a little time, actually get to meet the city.
How has the tour life been for y'all?
Matt: It's been good so far. We started on Friday in Vegas. I would say specifically Phoenix or Vegas too, but Phoenix was kinda the first time we had a decent amount of people actually singing some songs back to us, so that was cool. I think that was the most memorable for me.
Nye: Yeah. Having people show up and actually know our names ahead of time kind of catches you off guard.
Matt: Yeah
Nye: Because you're like, have I met you? They're like Nope, no. I just know who you are. It's been cool to meet people that way. The tour's been good, but it's been some late night drives.I'm enjoying getting to see the state, but it's too dark most of the time to enjoy it.
Matt:Yeah we came from the west coast and we keep losing an hour every time.
Y'all have a very unique sound and a unique band name at that. And I remember stumbling on one of y'alls songs on Spotify, specifically November cold. I just love the sounds of the intense drums and heavy guitar, and it definitely evoked a certain nerve. I just wanted to ask, have y'all ever had that moment in your music where you just resonate so deeply with your work?
Matt:Yes, but also no, especially for November Cold, that was kind of a throwaway song for the album. We released I think like seven singles outta 10 songs on our first album. And it wasn't even one of the singles just 'cause I'm not sure why. I didn't even think about it. For that one specifically, I didn't think that that would resonate so much with people. But now that it has, it's resonated more with me 'cause it's a song that is very special to me. It was written about my cousin who passed away, uh, from cancer.
Nye:I think there's that middle ground where like when you're working on a song, and you're recording it, it's very special 'cause you're just like pouring your heart into it and then it gets released and you move on to the next song.You move on and it's not until you're actually playing it live that you get to experience it in a different context. You get to enjoy it that way.Like Matt was saying, It breathes life into it in a new way and it makes it emotional in a different way getting to experience it live.
That moment where you mentioned how your cousin passed away, and I could imagine that's very hard to go through. I think the great thing about music and artistry is that it can be interpreted in a lot of ways.Is there a certain story you're trying to tell with your music?
Matt:I wouldn't say so. No. The band was originally made kind of just to get things off my chest, like words off my chest and feelings.And then it just kind of evolved into that, just doing that over and over again, kind of. So I wouldn't necessarily say so, I guess.
Nye:We all have different backgrounds with music that we bring into it.I think just being able to share music together that way is reason enough for me. Keep showing up. Yeah.
Are there any musical inspirations from where y'all originally are from that have inspired your sound, and would you like to shout out any bands that have done so?
Matt:Ooh,
Nye: Shout out the shout. Do the less obvious ones.I wanna hear your favorite band Matt.
Matt:I mean, my favorite band ever is Counting Crows. Musically, it doesn't really fit with what we do. I wouldn't say any bands from where we're from per se, but like a lot of the bands , that we take inspiration from that I really enjoy are bands like Super Heaven, Basement, Have Mercy.
Nye:Teenage Wrist, right?
Matt: Teenage Wrist. Yeah. Like a lot of these 2010s bands and also huge bands like, Hum, Failure, Stained even. New metal post grunge from the ‘90s and 2000s, that kind of stuff. But a lot of where I'm from specifically is Orange County. It's a lot of punk music.So it didn't really morph my music tastes from where I was from. It's more of just what I grew up listening to, you know.
Nye: I'm from Iowa originally.The big band there, Slipknot, which isn't a band I got into until very recently, so I can't say it was a big influence on me. Um, but moving to LA there's a lot more bands from Southern California that were kind of what I grew up listening to. Also majority of ones Matt mentioned and kind of the punk scene there too had a big influence on me.
I know one of yall mentioned FIDLAR and PUP in a previous interview.
Matt:Yeah. In the beginning of Cross I’s, there were some bands like FIDLAR and Pup and even like Mom Jeans and Have Mercy. Bands that didn't necessarily influence our music, but it was more of the attitude… that's why I love classic emo music. It doesn't have to be perfect. It's not perfect vocals, it's not like the most beautiful thing, but it's heart wrenching and emotional.That's what I think music should be, more on the emotional side, at least that's what I want to make is more emotion evoking music.
Can y'all give me a glimpse of what's next in the works? Any new music sometime soon?
Nye: Yeah,We're most of the way through an album.Got a bunch of songs lined up. We're putting the finishing touches on 'em and should ideally have it out in what, 2026?
Matt:Yeah. Yeah. Early 2026. We have a few of them done and then most of the instrumentals are done for all the songs basically.We're just trying to finish it as quickly as possible. And then we're gonna roll out singles probably starting in 2026… Assuming that we get the tracking done by the end of this year. Yeah.I think that we'd be able to start rolling out some, some singles.
Well, it was lovely talking to y'all. Do y'all have any last words?
Nye:Thanks for having us.
Matt: Go longhorns. Hook’Em baby!