ANGUS Stone jokes he'll be wearing "a two-dollar suit giving away the keys" when he delivers one lucky fan a restored 1960 rose pink Cadillac.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It might be a creative marketing ploy concocted by Newcastle's BMG Australia boss Heath Johns to drive pre-orders for Stone's third Dope Lemon album Rose Pink Cadillac, but the classic car holds a special place in the indie artist's heart.
Heart, and more importantly, love is central to Rose Pink Cadillac.
"I'd like to say this is my love album," Stone says in his trademark slow and chilled drawl.
"For the times we were in, the struggles that people are going through at the moment, I think it's a better time than any to share love and this record is a thing of love."
However, Stone says the theme of love doesn't necessarily relate to himself. It's something more universal.
"For me whether it's personal experience or something you observe or absorb through stuff you've gone through or whether it's love, loss, renewal of finding yourself and being ready for the next thing, I think love is a good thing to come back to.
"There's just a magic to it that you can't deny."
Rose Pink Cadillac follows Dope Lemon's previous albums Honey Bones (2016) and Smooth Big Cat (2019), which have built an audience of almost 2 million monthly Spotify listeners.
What was once a side project to explore when Angus and Julia Stone were on a sabbatical has become a genuine smash.
Rose Pink Cadillac promises to be Dope Lemon's most elaborate album yet, combining tropical and nostalgic '70s vibes on tracks like Sailor's Delight and Kids Fallin' In Love with the frantic psych-rock of Howl With Me and Stingray Pete.
Stone even dabbles with dreamy R&B on Every Day Is A Holiday, a collaboration with Winston Surfshirt.
It's an album of dreams. Not surprisingly the album's gestation took place in the idyllic surrounds of Stone's Byron Bay hinterland farm.
Previous Dope Lemon albums were recorded on Stone's cattle ranch, but Rose Pink Cadillac was the first produced in the property's old barn which was converted into a studio overlooking the farm and the mountains.
"It's a moment in time," Stone says. "Now in the new studio looking over it, it's a new chapter. A reminder that you're progressing and moving forward in life."
In August Angus and Julia Stone released the album Life Is Strange, and despite individual solo success, the indie-folk duo remains the siblings' biggest drawcard.
But does Dope Lemon provide Angus Stone with greater creative freedom?
"I've never really felt any expectations from anything really in this career," he says. "I've always made sure that I've followed my heart on having fun and working hard and just creating.
"That's where I find myself feeling grounded and near my happy place, my zone.
"I guess Dope Lemon is just an extension of a change of work. Julia and I, we'd toured all through our 20s around the world and I guess it just naturally happened. We'd take breaks and I'd go off and write tunes and Julia would do the same.
"It's healthy. In any working relationship it's good to let yourself find new avenues to express yourself."
Dope Lemon's Rose Pink Cadillac is out January 7.