Weird Music Wednesday: “Fabienk” by Angine de Poitrine
If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately NOT focused on political B.S., you’ve likely encountered two masked figures from Saguenay, Quebec, looking like polka-dotted escapees from a Jacques Tati nightmare. After their KEXP session went nuclear earlier this year, the duo known as Angine de Poitrine (literally “Chest Pain,” for the uninitiated) had a choice: lean into the “viral meme” status or prove they actually know how to use those custom-sawed microtonal guitars. With the release of Vol. II, they’ve opted for the latter, delivering a record that is as technically dizzying as it is strangely danceable. It is a dense, captivating record that refuses to be background music that suggests the band’s viral success wasn’t a fluke of the algorithm, but a genuine hunger for something that doesn’t fit into a standard 12-note scale.
While 2024’s Vol. 1 felt like a charmingly lo-fi collection of experiments (the sound of two people figuring out how to play in the “cracks” between piano keys) Vol. II is a significantly more muscular affair. The evolution here is one of confidence. Khn’s double-necked guitar work has moved past mere curiosity into a genuine vocabulary of “Mantra-Rock,” while Klek’s drumming has become the anchor that prevents these songs from floating off into the academic ether. They’ve swapped the “outsider art” tag for a seat at the table with the likes of Khruangbin or King Gizzard, albeit a table that has been deliberately sawed into an asymmetrical pentagon.
There are plenty of highlights on the album, but “Fabienk” is indisputably the best track for me. It’s the moment where the band’s Dadaist tendencies and their sheer musicality finally shake hands. The song opens with a squelching, almost aquatic heavily effected guitar-lead that quickly dissolves into a 28 bar 7/4 polyrhythmic pattern that has no business being this catchy. The track artfully manages the tension between the eerie and the familiar. While much of the album delights in making the listener feel slightly seasick, “Fabienk” uses those microtones to create a melody that feels ancient, almost folk-like, before burying it under a mountain of fuzzed-out loops. It is the definitive proof that Angine de Poitrine isn’t just playing “wrong notes” for the sake of a gimmick—they’re laying a new microtonal musical foundation, building a black and white polka-dotted house on it, and inviting us all to a very weird housewarming party.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/fabienk/1876355939
Live KEXP Performance of “Fabienk”:
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/vol-ii/1876355936
The Band
Khn de Poitrine - Microtonal Guitars & Bass
Klek de Poitrine - Drums
From the band’s press kit:
“Angine de Poitrine is an anonymous artistic project. Any speculation regarding the identities of its members is unverified and not endorsed by the band.”
Be sure to check out the Audio Toxicity 2026 Bad Music Detox Protocol (AKA a playlist of songs covered so far…)