Bubblegum Lemonade

Glaswegian band Bubblegum Lemonade centered around songwriter Lawrence "Laz" McCluskey's melodic bedroom pop creations. Drawing on the tuneful jangle of '60s bubblegum, Jesus & Mary Chain fuzz guitar, and touches of the vulnerable spirit that marked the K Records roster of the '90s, McCluskey produced new work prolifically, moving from more homespun early albums to the cleaner production of 2016's The Great Leap Backward. McCluskey formed Bubblegum Lemonade in the late 2000s, taking the name from the title of Mama Cass' 1969 solo album Bubblegum, Lemonade & Something for Mama. Armed with an electric 12-string guitar and a knack for wistfully catchy tunes, McCluskey kicked off what would turn into a massive discography with two four-song EPs. His debut EP, Ten Years Younger, was released on the Matinee Recordings label in early 2008; a second EP, Susan's in the Sky, followed in the summer of that year. Before 2008 was over, debut album Doubleplusgood arrived. The appropriately titled Sophomore Release followed in 2010. Along with the occasional single or EP release, McCluskey issued new albums every three years or so, with Some Like It Pop materializing in 2013, the more sharply produced The Great Leap Backward in 2016 and Desperately Seeking Sunshine in 2019. In addition to his solo work as Bubblegum Lemonade, McCluskey also played in the like-minded, fuzzy indie pop duo Strawberry Whiplash. ~ Fred Thomas