DOPE LEMON – the indigo child of Australian musician Angus Stone – has existed over the last nine years with a driving purpose to take listeners out of their reality, and place them in a universe of tranquility; where sunshine is forever and joy is free. 

Known prominently as one-half of the sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone, the DOPE LEMON project acts as a means of escapism, toying with fantasy and psychedelic daydreams that provide comfort, stillness and solace. It’s a project that has made Stone a well-renowned multi-hyphenate, and a genreblending, always-expanding master of his discipline. 

“DOPE is a universe that I can step into and create these different personas in the style, genre and mood of each record,” he said.

“I feel like the beauty of sticking with this has become a labour of love. And the reward in that for me is refining this trade. It allows me to tell myself things I wouldn't necessarily be able to outside of music. It's almost this therapeutic value that I don't think I'd be able to find anywhere else.”

From shaking out the Honey Bones, to stroking the Smooth Big Cat, riding top down in the Rose Pink Cadillac and coming full circle with Kimosabè, DOPE contemplates existence and the afterlife on his newest offering Golden Wolf. The essence of what’s to come once our vessel is laid to rest isn’t a concept that sits comfortably with the artist, as he extends his forethought to traverse plains of wonder and curiosity on his latest LP. 

Golden Wolf takes away the mystifying, existential aspect of life after death, removing its innate aura of crisis and self-consciousness and replacing it with peaceful acceptance. The album dips into reckless adventure and hazy nostalgia, playing out like a lucid dream that you don’t want to wake up from. It signals a rebirth for the artist, both spiritually and environmentally. Created entirely in an old, untainted 70s mansion purchased by DOPE, which has now transformed into Sugarcane Mountain Studios, the album confronts the “what ifs” of human life and its undeniable fragility. We caught up with DOPE LEMON over Zoom to reminisce on the last nine years, dive into the process of creating Golden Wolf, and the different stories that naturally immersed itself into the music.

It's almost been a decade since DOPE LEMON came into our orbit. So when you look back on the last nine or so years and everything that has come from releasing as DOPE LEMON, what kind of stands out to you?

It's pretty cool to think about. I sort of think about it in a way that each record represents a chapter in my life, and the community that DOPE LEMON has become. It's cool to sort of move along with the fans as you're growing as a human and fine tuning your skill set of writing. You're sort of inviting people into a bit of a window into what you're going through introspectively. I feel very lucky to be a part of this art form and to have such loyal fans, it's been a cool ride.

Talk me through the beginning stages of Golden Wolf. In what ways did it kind of exist at the start, and how did it begin to take shape over time?

I have just acquired this new recording studio that is so incredible, it's such a beautiful space. I really like to go to old vintage stores and antique stores and secondhand places and the co-ops, and I love talking with the old owners about pieces of furniture and things like that, and how they came across this item, because it's not just an inanimate object, it holds an energy and a story. 

I was chatting with this lady, and she said, "I think you'd really like this property that has just gone up for sale. It's this beautiful, big, old 1970s mansion, and it looks over the sugar cane fields and out into the mountain range". The owners had passed away, and they were saying that they'd peered in because they sort of go around to auctions and stuff for antique deals. And she mentioned that nothing had changed since the 70s; it was pretty much this time capsule. And she said, "You should jump the fence and go check it out". And so I went up there, I peered in and walked around. It was just so cool. 

I made an offer and ended up now converting it into this space where DOPE LEMON will be making records. It holds its own story, and for me, that's important with this art form. And so Golden Wolf was created there and that was sort of the beginning of its story.

I want to talk about the opening track on Golden Wolf, which is John Belushi, and takes its namesake from the late, great SNL actor and comedian. But I want to ask you about the nature of this song, choosing it as the intro to the album, and how it kind of sets the tone for the remainder of the project.

When we were growing up, we only had one VHS, and that was The Blues Brothers. And the way my mom tells the story, I'd sit there and she thinks I'd probably watched it about 300 times when I was a kid. I just loved it. I loved all the features of all of the incredible artists. Dan Aykroyd and Belushi as a duo, and then moving through on this mission from God, I think, eventually, almost became a part of me, and I found a lot of those artists through that film as a kid.

I open with Belushi just as a bit of a salute to such a beautiful human that brought so much joy to the world. All comets that burn bright eventually sadly crash, and I guess the song is just talking about the rise and fall of great things, and also just him as a human, and people in general that are going through stuff. When it hits the chorus, it's about how you don't have to go through this alone. We can help you. We can love you too. I thought it was a nice way to open the record.

It's interesting that you say that, because, while it's an “In Memoriam” track, it also has the overarching theme of questioning what's on the other side. And I think there's an overall contemplative emphasis on what's next and what lies ahead on this album, more so on songs like Electric Green Lambo. Do you have much thought or certainty about your legacy, and how you would like to be remembered?

That's a good question, that's really cool. Golden Wolf the song was the catalyst for the record. It started with that song, but the concept behind that was our mortality and reaching the end of our lives, and what happens after, what draws you over to the next life, and what you'll take with you, what you leave behind, whether you'll start anew or bring the things that you learned and make it a better one. It was really cool to make that song. And for me, I created the Golden Wolf as in when I close my eyes, that would be the spirit that takes me through to the next life. And a lot of the songwriting in this was very much in that realm of what you're talking about. It's really cool that you picked up on that.

If Golden Wolf was kind of a tangible, existing world much like our own, what would it look like to you? The colours, the environment that surrounds it; what do the occupants of the Golden Wolf world look like?

I know I'm sort of answering in a different way, but what's been really beautiful about this journey with DOPE is that I’'ll go on to socials and each day I’ll see someone that has a story and they've created a piece of art, or some poetry, photography, tattoos inspired by DOPE. It's really special because it feels like DOPE has created this community where people don't feel restricted. They're happy to share and they feel safe in that community. 

I love it because, for me, I'm really immersed in that world and if you talk about what that world looks like, it's this place where people can try those things and express themselves in a way that feels free. I feel like art comes alive when it's shared. I feel really lucky to be involved and to have that space for people that DOPE, as a universe if you will, has created.

Over the course of the last nine years, DOPE has generated a sort of timelessness as an entity. So to close the interview, I want to talk about finality. It may be too early to call, but do you see DOPE LEMON coming to an end? Or is it something that was made to exist timelessly throughout life?

It's a big question. It definitely provides therapeutic value, and I mean, I'm already thinking about what's next for DOPE. For me, it's a daily. [DOPE] is based on social commentary through poetry and insights into the way I see the world. It's all orbiting around this mood that the music gives. I'm loving it at the moment. For me, it's an indefinite project, and hopefully it's til infinity and beyond.

DOPE LEMON’s fifth studio album Golden Wolf is out now via all streaming platforms.