Bubblegum Lemonade is the exciting indie-pop solo project of Laz (Lawrence “Laz” McCluskey), based in Glasgow, Scotland. Since forming around 2007, Laz has cultivated a sound that fuses jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitars with fuzzy, melodic hooks—anchored in the tradition of 1960s pop yet blooming with modern indie flair. Drawing inspiration from iconic bands like The Byrds, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bubblegum Lemonade channels a timeless “jangly indiepop” vibe filled with bright melodies and wistful undertones. A prolific artist on the Matinée Recordings label, Bubblegum Lemonade has released a string of great albums and EPs: Doubleplusgood (2008), Sophomore Release (2010), Some Like It Pop (2013), The Great Leap Backward (2016) and Desperately Seeking Sunshine (2019), all showcasing effervescent songwriting and fuzzy pop textures. In 2024, Laz unveiled Lawrence of Suburbia, his sixth album, an expertly crafted blend of jangly and psychedelic indie pop. Suburban Singles Club, out earlier this year, collects the four singles out of the album, along with eight exclusive b-sides. A new EP titled Where The Light Hits The Shade is out now, offering a glimpse into Laz’s evolving sound—surf-and-shoegaze-inspired textures, inventive percussion (even sampled scissors!), and playful vocal interplay with Sandra, her partner in his other project, Strawberry Whiplash.

What He Says: “Where the Light Hits the Shade is the first single from my forthcoming surf and shoegaze inspired album which is called To Surf With Love. The album is full of fun percussion touches, as illustrated in the intro of this song, which uses stereo scissors, a percussive shaker, and muted guitar hits to create its unique rhythm. It’s a song about how, when opposites attract, they can have a positive effect on each other.“

 “I’ve always loved The Lightning Seeds. As songwriters and producers we are both singing from the same hymn sheet; the song and its production are as one, and we both like to write happy pop, but with a sad undercurrent.  Anyway, about a month ago, I had just finished reading Ian Broudie’s autobiography, and I sat the book down and looked at its title, Tomorrow’s Here Today which was written on the front cover, I thought to myself, as songwriters often do, “hey, I should write my own ‘Tomorrow’ song.” My titular ‘tomorrow’ would need to have a twist to it though. So, And Tomorrow Never Came was born. It’s about the slow realisation that you are being strung along by somebody.
When starting a new song, I always come up with its title first, this tells me what the song will sound like and what it will be about. I like to then create a couplet for the chorus, then at least a couple of lines for the verse, just enough to tease out the magic, and to make sure that the song’s character has legs. I’ll do a scratch demo with my acoustic guitar and my voice onto my phone, then I build it up line by line with successive demos.This song took me a week to write and record, some songs can take me even longer, lol. The song has a deliberately extended intro designed to give each musical part a chance to shine before a successive part begins. In just 55 seconds, the intro takes you on a musical journey from The Byrds through The Cure and finally to a riff worthy of The Strokes.“

His Mixtape: “It’s unusual to make a mix tape when you don’t know who you’re making it for.  I am, though, going to assume that you, the recipient, has great musical taste.  Enjoy.  And those lucky listeners who happen to know the music of Bubblegum Lemonade and Strawberry Whiplash will be able to decode the secret ingredient that glues all of the songs in the mix tape together.  I’ll give you a clue, it’s got something to do with the song titles.“

Leonard Cohen – Famous Blue Raincoat

I was first introduced to Leonard Cohen by a long play 7” mini album, released by the Scoop record label. It featured six fantastic hypnotic musical poems for just £1 of my meagre pocket money. It really was the thrift that keeps on giving. The song is written in the form of a self-reflective letter and delves into themes of love, betrayal and forgiveness. I love the contrast of Len’s deep vocal and the soft female backing vocals. Some light to his shade.  This is the very reason why I often have Sandra’s vocals brightening up my Bubblegum Lemonade records. Anyway, we all know that Len is great, but is he actually any good?  If you’re not sure, give this track a listen.

 

Nancy Sinatra – You Only Live Twice 

We’d all heard the big hit, These Boots Were Made for Walking, but one fantastic day I discovered that Nancy had this whole other world of magic and mystery.  By the time Hal Blaine’s drums kick in on YOLT, I’m under her cool, confident spell. 

Beach Boys – Don’t Worry Baby

Brian Wilson is king in our house. Imagine a world in which Brian Wilson hadn’t been born, it would be a very different world. God only knows what we’d be without him. Written as a response to Be My Baby, a recent hit by the Ronettes that had amazed and inspired Brian, this is a deliberate move away from his previous songs about cars and surfing.

Heavenly – Cool Guitar Boy

“He’s looking so cool in his tight jeans and his plastic mac“. Were they singing about me? In my head, yes. In actual reality, definitely not, lol.

The Monkees – Last Train to Clarksville

I was into Donovan before I was into Dylan, and was into The Monkees before I was into The Beatles. This was partly because when I was young, our family got our hand-me-down 7” vinyl from an older teenager who lived down the road from us. When the bubblegum had lost its flavour for her, we got to chew on the scratched plastic afresh. Regarding Last Train to Clarkesville, it was only much later that I learned that the writer, Bobby Hart, wrote the song about a guy who has been drafted to fight in Vietnam, giving the line, ‘Don’t know if I’m ever coming home’ a lot more poignancy.

The Velvettes – Needle in a Haystack

I’m always reminded of Rollin’ Dan by The Fall at the start of this song.  Every line of Needle in a Haystack is a killer, the call and response vocals are real magic, the backing musicians are at the top of their game; it’s not just a song, it’s a real work of art. Go on, clap along.  Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Orange Juice – Falling and Laughing

Fellow Glaswegians, mixing together Chic and The Velvet Underground in a fun and original way.  Love, innocence, shyness, self-awareness, and the space between pleasure and pain, presented in a witty and self-deprecating way…and that’s just the first verse. Just like Edwyn, I liked to wear my fringe like Roger McGuinn’s. We are all now, beyond the fringe.

Lulu – To Sir With Love

Lulu is also from my adopted home town of Glasgow; there must be something in the tap water, and I don’t just mean the added fluoride. While she will usually really belt out the notes, I really love her more reflective tone here. I could listen to this song all day long on a loop, and often do.

Where The Light Hits The Shade is out now, and a new album, To Surf With Love, will be released later this year via Matinée Recordings. Look Here for more information on Bubblegum Lemonade.