Strange Ranger Georgia Cary

You ever encounter a song that just keeps bombarding your brain unprompted? In the four years since I first heard “Leona” by Portland/Philly/New York indie rockers Strange Ranger, it won’t leave me alone. The tune is incredibly simple, never deviating from its two-chord structure and Third Eye Blind-esque “bad-da-da”s, but — as far as I’m concerned — the lyrics are a perfect, diaristic encapsulation of what it feels like to be a teenager who’s confused about everything except for the person you have a crush on. Meandering through lines like “I miss the morning before it comes to me” and “I can still taste your kisses/ Never wanna do my dishes” will make you long for the time in your life when you were on the cusp of adulthood, stuck between accidental profundity and proud childishness.

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For just 10 bucks, you can catch Strange Ranger on their drive back from SXSW at Stickyz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack on Sunday, March 19. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and you can get tickets here. Puppy Angst and Rock Eupora are set to open.

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