In the running for the weirdest groups of 2026 is Quebec’s Angine de Poitrine, an anonymous duo clad in ridiculous polka-dot outfits and playing an energetic, intricate brand of progressive math rock.
The duo wasn’t known outside of local festival circles until February of this year, when one of their live sessions started getting shared online, and now opening track “Fabienk” already has 12 million listens. There’s a slight Daft Punk feel to two anonymous oddballs making their own style of music, almost as if they feel free to do whatever they want because nobody can see their faces.
But the music is far from inaccessible, as one might expect. Anyone who’s heard King Crimson’s Discipline or Zappa will feel at home here, what with the odd and shifting time signatures and propulsive beats underscoring tricky guitar riffs. There’s a kinetic energy on these six tracks (five of which run more than six minutes), and so much is crammed into one song that it takes a few listens to unpack.
A few music outlets have put this album on their Best of 2026 list, and I may join them soon, because it’s hard to tear one’s attention away from this spectacle. “Mata Zyklek” has an addictive ferocity and “Fabienk” is all new wave angularity with a smile, once you get past the atonal opening screech. “Sarniezz” is slower and ballsier, pushing the bass to the forefront while slowly building the tempo.
There’s an international flavor to “Utzp,” almost like a bouncy Russian beat—some say polka—that takes on a carnival-esque atmosphere for about three minutes, before piling on the noise and then revving up the tempo, recreating the opening riff on two different guitar lines (one high, one low) while the bass races to keep up. It’s a workout, the best song here, and prog fans will love it.
The final two songs stumble a bit. “Yor Zarad” is a bit too choppy and frantic to gel as a coherent song, though the nervy punk energy may appeal to some (is prog-punk a thing yet?). “Angor” is fine but doesn’t offer much variety in the instrumentation, nor does it say anything the prior songs didn’t say better.
But altogether, the willfully odd duo creates a compelling instrumental prog-rock piece that’s worth checking out.