Angine de Poitrine - Vol.II
Spectacles Bonzaï (under exclusive license)
Released on April 3rd, 2026
Hailing from outer space and finding themselves in Saguenay, Quebec, this polka-dotted and papier mache’d experimental rock duo has not-so-slowly begun to take over our musical world here on Earth. Two months following their viral KEXP live-recording, Angine de Poitrine’s Vol.II album was released to us earth-dwellers, allowing fans to finally be able to listen to their full discography without burning up all of their data re-watching the live-recording for the thousandth time.
Much like their debut album Vol.1, Vol.II features their drums and double-necked, microtonal bass/guitar lineup, including a few lyrical moments here and there that have yet to be translated at the time of writing. The drums masterfully hold down the groove - whether as an odd time signature or a standard beat - and slowly build momentum alongside an ever-developing and layering guitar and bass. Using musical notes that most of the Western world is not accustomed to hearing, in arrangements that very few people would call "familiar", Angine de Poitrine offers their listeners a very original, refreshing, and maybe confusing-at-times musical experience in their latest album.
Vol.II starts off strong with their most popular, and possibly grooviest tune, “Fabienk”. The second of two singles, it begins like most Angine de Poitrine songs do, with a repeating guitar lick. Much like their name suggests, Angine de Poitrine (translated from French to “angina of the chest”) gives the listener a panicked, frantic feeling from the moment the drums come in. The bass and multiple other guitar layers build the song harmonically while the drums ensure we never feel like we can quite catch our breath. The lead guitar melody in the first half gives us some familiarity to hold onto as the cyclical tune continues right until the whole thing comes crashing down into silence. Now we enter my personal favourite part of “Fabienk”. A bass line introduces a new groove that will play out the last half of the song. Some alien lyrics are sung and then the drums and guitar crash in and begin a (seemingly) new cycle. The layers of guitar slowly build over the repetitive but groovy bass line, adding harmony and new lead lines that somehow manage to avoid stepping on each other's toes. The drums that started quite simple begin digging into the groove deeper and more aggressively. Your heart still has this tight feeling, like something is coming but you aren’t quite sure what it is. Then, finally, the lead guitar part from the first half joins in, and you feel as though the final piece of the puzzle has come into place. What was a confusing build of layers and grooves now all seem to make perfect sense as you bob your head and tap your foot along to this catchy tune. By the time it is over you are already restarting the song and texting your friends “hey, have you heard of this band Angine de Poi…”. At least, that was my first experience when hearing “Fabienk”.
Their Sophomore album continues with a similar rising and falling stacking of layers in their songs’ structure. “Mata Zyklek” has a faster pace and includes more of a solo-ist style of lead guitar. “Sarniezz” slows things down a bit with more of an emphasis on the groove like we heard in the second half of the first song. It also features more chromatic movement in the main riff and lead parts, highlighting the microtonal notes more often heard in Eastern music. The last three songs of Vol.II have more of a world-influence sound, with “Utzp” following a polka feel for most of the song.
With music that makes you question the definition of the word, costumes that are sure to make anyone double-take, and a fan-base who lovingly refer to them as “Slipdot” or “humanity’s best chance at fighting AI”, Angine de Poitrine are here to stay, at least until they get booked to tour in a different galaxy.
