Five out-of-town bands closed out Popfest on Sunday night to a modest but attentive crowd at the Rickshaw Stop. I came in during opener Devon Williams’ set, catching the tail end of their eighties pop tinged with the bittersweet heart of a teen.

Next Math and Physics Club brought the sunshine back with their quick-witted pop. Layering lyrics like “I could keep the feeling/ but the feeling’s mutual” over bright, punchy guitar riffs, the Seattle-based band put out a fun set. I recommend the song “The International,” from their just-released album, I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do.

The easy charm and strong songwriting of Brooklyn-based band, My Teenage Stride, made it the most compelling set I saw, in spite of its disorganization. Members of Knight School and Dream Diary filled in for absent members, learning the songs onstage. (In a testament to the musicians’ skills and the strength of the songs, you couldn’t tell – except for when they were actually learning one of the songs in the middle of the set, then you could tell.)

Minimal garage guitars and harmonies, disarming frankness and an ear for hooks made the band stand out in a line-up of solid, well-played pop. During the set Frontman Jedediah Smith remarked on the flimsiness of his picks and was met with two offers of picks from the audience, one of which was of the ‘Hello, Kitty’ variety. “I’ll save that one for the last song,” he remarked, tucking it in his pocket.

The Tyde and Cats on Fire rounded out the evening.