I pre-ordered Dope Lemon‘s new LP Rose Pink Cadillac on Amazon a few months ago before too much was available about the release. At the time, frontman Angus Stone had given us a track or two, and hype was just starting to form. Well, Rose Pink Cadillac arrived this week, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it pressed to a Picture Disk!
That wasn’t apparent at first, as these cool discs come housed in an album sleeve reminiscent of the first two Dope Lemon releases (both of which you’ll also find in my collection). Here’s the cover:
The First Listen
I gave the record a go on a recent early evening bike ride around Oak Point Nature Preserve. As dusk settled in and street lamps came on, I circled a small lake a few times. The album neared its conclusion, and “Shadows in the Moonlight” came on.
What perfection!
If ever there was a campy horror-inspired tune, this would be it. (Though, frankly, I’m not 100% convinced this truly is one, but it sure gives off that impression!)
Give it a listen on my recent Instagram reel (and feel free to follow me for music, cycling, hiking, and more):
Nothing like turning on your headlight and barreling down a cold, shadowy trail with a forest to one side and barren fields on the other on two extremely thin tires, then rounding a corner only to circle a lake. I stumbled upon a bobcat at the waterfront on my second listen of this song.
Again, I snagged this copy on Amazon (link above). No clue how long this will be available, so snag it before it sells out! The first two records are going for quite a bit more than the current $50 purchase price of this LP.
Dig into the title track above. It has some of the angular guitar sounds more signature to Mac DeMarco, but boy does it work with Dope Lemon!
Unboxing Rose Pink Cadillac on Vinyl
Alright, so I haven’t done one of these unboxing videos before, but I figured it was worth it to create one and share it with you simply because the Rose Pink Cadillac picture disc wax is so freaking cool!
Let me know in the comments if you like “unboxing” videos like these, and I’ll start throwing more together.
Here’s the kicker. I had no clue that it would be a picture disc, especially given I snagged a copy on Amazon. I assumed it would be on standard black wax like Honey Bones.
Here’s What I Like About Rose Pink Cadillac
Ignore the added bonus of this being pressed to picture disk. Let’s dig into the music. Here’s what I like.
First off, I’m already giving it multiple spins, meaning it’s likely to stay atop my On The Turntable list for some time, and maybe even grace my top spins of the year when I compile that list in late December 2022 or early January 2023.
Next, I like how distinctly “Dope Lemon” this record is, yet Angus Stone injects a fresh amount of newness that keeps it not just interesting, but downright surprising at times. There’s the aforementioned “Shadows in the Moonlight” album closer for one. Of note, the two songs with guest artists. There’s “High Rollin’ (feat. Louise Verneuil)” which includes singing in French, and “Every Day is a Holiday” with Winston Surfshirt, which adds traits more common with old school hip hop with Winston Surfshirt rapping a little.
Check out the video for “Every Day is a Holiday” above.
So, there is plenty of that classic Dope Lemon sound to get fans of his past albums pleased, and just enough newness to intrigue the more challenging fan that likes progression and diversity.
What’s your take on the new album? How do you think it stacks up compared to Dope Lemon’s first two? Let me know in the comments!
