The Strange Song Dave Grohl Is Obsessed With

In an era where virality often hinges on familiarity, Canadian math-rock duo Angine de Poitrine have achieved the opposite—capturing widespread attention through sheer unpredictability. Their recent performance on KEXP has quickly become a touchstone for adventurous listeners, blending jagged, microtonal compositions with a striking visual identity of papier-mâché masks and polka-dotted costumes.

The performance has circulated rapidly online, drawing in audiences intrigued not only by the band’s sound but by the deliberate obscurity surrounding their personas. In a genre often defined by technical precision, Angine de Poitrine pushes further, embracing dissonance and unconventional tuning systems that challenge even seasoned listeners.

Dave Grohl Takes Notice

Among the growing list of admirers is Dave Grohl, who recently shared his astonishment during an interview with Logan Kelly on Logan Sounds Off. “I just have to try to say this correctly because it was sent to me yesterday by a friend, and it absolutely blew my fucking mind,” he said.

“It’s called Angine de Poitrine… And I don’t know how to explain it other than you just have to watch these people. And it’s all instrumental.”

Grohl went on to describe the duo’s elaborate setup, underscoring the mechanical complexity behind their sound. “That person has a double neck that’s a bass guitar on the bottom and a guitar on the top,” he noted. “And you’ll see the bank of pedals that they’re stepping on. And they’re looping every one of these riffs. It’s so completely insane.”

For an artist long associated with the raw immediacy of rock, Grohl’s fascination speaks volumes about the duo’s ability to transcend stylistic boundaries and captivate across generations of musicians.

Building a Sound That Shouldn’t Work—But Does

Behind the spectacle lies a deeply experimental ethos. Speaking to Noize, drummer Klek de Poitrine shed light on the band’s unconventional beginnings. “I built the first microtonal guitar we used myself,” he explained. “I added more frets on a guitar with a saw. The moment we started playing it, we just laughed. But since I’m not a guitarist, I wasn’t using the instrument’s full potential.

“I brought it to Khn [the guitarist/bassist], and I told him, ‘You have to try this, it makes absolutely no sense.’ The moment we started playing with it, we just laughed because of the friction created and the proximity of the notes.”

That sense of playful discovery—of embracing what “makes absolutely no sense”—has become central to Angine de Poitrine’s identity. Their music thrives in the tension between chaos and control, where unconventional tuning and looping techniques create a dense, almost hypnotic sonic landscape.

With the release of Vol. II and a slate of North American tour dates, including several first-time appearances across the United States, the duo now faces a pivotal moment. Viral attention can be fleeting, but Angine de Poitrine’s appeal suggests something more durable: a project rooted not in trend, but in genuine experimentation.

If their rise continues, it may signal a broader shift within modern rock—one where risk, absurdity, and technical audacity are no longer niche pursuits, but the very elements driving the genre forward.