Playing what the four-piece instrumental group calls “post-Midwest mathcore,” Southpaw tears it up with its metal-adjacent sound, but without all the yelling. The avoidance of words is “probably because no human voice could keep up with [the band’s] insane chord and tempo changes and riffs.” The pair of electric guitars are played by Nate Pykkonen and Isaac Smith. Dalton Hanson is on bass and Nate Rendiluch holds down the drums. Southpaw’s 2023 album Finally was awarded Best Album in the Duluth Reader’s annual poll.

Duluth quartet Sorrows Never Die recently posted band portraits by photographer Hunter Thomas DeMenge to its Facebook page. Staged in a downtown alley against a gritty brick wall and a heavy-duty fire escape, the band fashions some serious tattoos, bold beards and a variety of headwear. T-shirts celebrate metal legends Sleep Token and Korn. No one cracks a smile. The band has the look and can deliver the loud. Sorrows Never Die is Nicholas Quinones on guitar and vocal, Zakk Houle on guitar, Link Hunter on bass and Casey Holland on drums.

Jon “SonofMel” Adler weaves 20 years of global wandering into songs, creating a genre of Americana he describes as “outlaw country with a passport.” He now resides in a place he calls “Wayward,” the hamlet of Hayward, Wisconsin, frequently performing at Out of the Woods Winery and Treeland Resorts. Adler blends his baritone vocals, plucky guitar playing and harmonica to tell his travel stories. He still hits the road, albeit for shorter distances. In Duluth, he’s hosted Wussow’s open mic nights and performed in Sacred Heart’s Duluth Does David Bowie concert, where he embodied the song “Queen Bitch” by donning a “frock coat and a bipperty-bopperty hat.”

The four members of Sometime, Maybe have performed in Duluth for more than two decades, but it wasn’t until 2023 that they merged their musical forces. The band’s blend of original and cover songs aims to keep things moody and groovy. Erick Hermanson is lord of the low end on bass, while Luke Mirau keeps things tight on drums. Asa Harting plays guitar and croons, croaks and cracks jokes on vocals. Mary Hermanson crushes the keys and sings soaring melodies. Their diverse backgrounds, tastes and experiences allow Sometime, Maybe to make music that ruffles feathers and soothes souls.