The fourth and final day of SXSW was highlighted with euphoria, exhaustion, and more fantastic music. Is it really almost over? Have my feet finally fallen off? Did I really get that terrible sunburn? Do I have the energy to see a few more bands? (Answers: Yes. No. Sadly yes. Emphatically yes.)

As fellow writer Mike Hilleary pointed out, the ratio of sleep to bands at SXSW is somewhat skewed. This is of course, an understatement, as it seems even my dreams (whenever I close my eyes long enough to have them) have been rented out for showcases. While there’s no accounting for my subconscious booking agency (who seem intent on making it an all Twin Shadow bill), the variety of bands available to the waking world of SXSW is pretty dang impressive. After our second successful Under the Radar day party, the magazine crew opted to hop from venue to venue for the remainder of the evening, as no one showcase was strong enough to demand our full attention.

Delivering sore feet, a disproportionate amount of time being awake and actually getting to sleep, and a list of bands that requires an army of journalists to successfully navigate, Austin’s SXSW festival has hit its 25th anniversary this year.

After a long—and incredibly enjoyable—day at our first of two Under the Radar SXSW parties, the magazine trouped en mass over to Central Presbyterian Church to check out Pitchfork’s impressively stacked lineup: Glasser, Cults, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, and James Blake.

Day one of my first go-around at the bacchic excesses that is SXSW, I had a very important realization: there are a lot of people here. Bars, restaurants, clubs—basically anywhere with a door—opens to let artists perform. The streets are, to put it mildly, peopled. Intellectually, I knew this. Physically I’ve not only survived, but also enjoyed, in a variety of packed festival situations. But to borrow a parlance from my hometown of Los Angeles: dude. Here’s the kicker, even with the sea of humanity, it is still quite possible to see quality bands up close and personal. SXSW, you have my heart.

After last year’s 30th anniversary acoustic tour, The Church returned to the States in February to perform three of their classic albums in their entirety. On an epic night in Philadelphia, the band did not disappoint.

Scott Kelly and Wino played a small show at New York’s Mercury Lounge to close out a short cross-country, co-headlining acoustic tour, showcasing each musician’s brand of dark folk music.

It would be difficult to call The Radio Dept. a dynamic band. They are, however, a thoughtful band. Unlike opener The Young Prisms (who seemed to have confused aptitude with apathy), The Radio Dept., happily plowed through a set of greatest hits, looking surprised and thankful. And while the most interesting visual component might have been the trio’s well-kept facial hair, their musicality was enough to placate the enthusiastic crowd who gathered in the sold-out venue to witness the band’s first Los Angeles performance.