Dope Lemon

Australian singer/songwriter Angus Stone had already built a global profile as half of the sibling indie pop duo Angus & Julia Stone when he began issuing work under the Dope Lemon alias, shifting toward a woozy, electric strain of '90s slacker rock. On releases such as the 2022 album Rose Pink Cadillac and 2023's Kimosabè, his songwriting stands out through polished guitar lines, sunlit rhythms, and languid vocal delivery.

Stone introduced the Dope Lemon project in 2016 after roughly ten years focused chiefly on Angus & Julia Stone, although he had also put out recordings via Lady of the Sunshine and under his own name. The debut album took shape from domestic songwriting sessions on his farm and informal sessions with friends inside an on-site studio. Among the musicians contributing to the finished Honey Bones were prior associates Rohin Brown of the Walking Who and Elliott Hammond of the Delta Riggs; the set appeared on Universal in spring 2016. An EP titled Hounds Tooth followed in early 2017, after which Stone rejoined his sister to track their fourth joint album, Snow.

Early in 2019 the Dope Lemon endeavor resurfaced via the single "Hey You," which coincided with the reveal of a second studio LP, Smooth Big Cat, plus supporting live dates. The record centered conceptually on the "Smooth Big Cat" persona, which Stone characterized as "a mystical creature of leisure." Retaining the beach-rock approach of earlier material, it surfaced on BMG during summer 2019.

Stone began rolling out tracks from a third Dope Lemon album, Rose Pink Cadillac, in 2021, unveiling pieces such as "Every Day Is a Holiday" and "Kids Fallin' in Love" that favored a warm, lo-fi texture. The full collection arrived in January 2022 and reached the summit of both the ARIA Vinyl Chart and the ARIA Album Chart. He sustained activity the following year with Kimosabè, featuring the upbeat "Miami Baby" alongside the introspective title track.