Angine de Poitrine Is Exactly What the Internet Was Waiting For

There's a moment in Angine de Poitrine's KEXP performance, recorded at the Transmusicales festival in Rennes last December and uploaded in early February, that's now sitting at several million views: Two figures in oversized papier-mâché masks and black-and-white polka-dot costumes are locked into a groove both precise and strange. The guitarist's fingers move across a double-necked instrument that doesn't behave like a guitar should while the drummer holds a pulse that's simultaneously rigid and deeply funky. The comment sections filled up fast.

The obvious read is that Angine de Poitrine got lucky with an algorithm. That's not wrong, exactly, but it undersells what happened.

Viral moments are common, sure, but viral moments that translate into sold-out tours across France, a UK run that moved every ticket before most people had heard the band's name, three back-to-back sold-out nights in Toronto, and first-pressing records fetching $600 on Discogs... is not so common.