Viral sensations Angine de Poitrine are simultaneously virtuosic and hypnotic

Off the back of a KEXP Live session, Angine de Poitrine are viral sensations - ironically, by creating algorithm defying music, the Canadian duo are now inescapable.

Their absurdist polka dot aesthetic is intended to both grab your attention and maintain anonymity. Underneath the handcrafted papier-mâché masks and costumes, there is a complexity to their music that keeps your brain hooked.

The Quebec duo make microtonal math rock with a tonal centre. Their catalogue is built around riffs that are looped on a custom double-necked microtonal instrument consisting of a bass and guitar.

Having more frets per octave allows access to ‘the notes between the notes’, conventionally found in the western 12-tone scale. The underlying loops give a tonal framework on which the microtones lie. The songs are developed through use of both rhythmic and metric modulation, allowing the music to be simultaneously virtuosic and hypnotically repetitive.

Subversion of musical and aesthetic expectations gives Angine de Poitrine the air of the uncanny that surrounds their art, and makes them stand out in the current landscape of music.

It’s no coincidence the band's entering of the public consciousness is concurrent with streaming platforms pumping out a barrage of AI-generated music, grounded in the formulaic structure of ‘popular music.'

In this new context, Angine de Poitrine’s music feels defiant. Their explosion exemplifies that the musical consumer is thirsty for live creative freedom of expression.

One YouTube user likened the band to the Marty McFly quote from Back To The Future - “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it”. The music feels both futuristic, and what we have been waiting for.

Angine de Poitrine, meaning Angina of the chest in English, is comprised of guitarist Khn de Poitrine, and drummer Klek de Poitrine. They are ‘space-time voyagers’, embarking on a world tour following the release of their second album, aptly named Vol. II.

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Angine de Poitrine tour Europe in May, August, September, October and November.