Top bands of Popfest 2013

It is tempting, perhaps even redundant, to paint the indie-pop community as one grand “Portlandia” parody, rife with print dresses, thick glasses and reticent souls. But like any seemingly insular genre, from death metal to krautrock, its relative obscurity is what binds the like-minded — turning strangers into friends in ways unknowable to listeners of, say, Jay-Z.

Now in its seventh year, NYC Popfest is an annual assemblage that seeks to celebrate the rich history and bright future of indie-pop, from its headwaters in late-’80s England to its current global Diaspora, and features bands with bookish names like Math and Physics Club that continue to churn out dreamy music that strums the heartstrings.

Here are four bands from this year’s slate with the amNewYork stamp of approval: