5.8 million views in one month. This performance by the Canadian math rock duo Angine de Poitrine has gone completely viral; everyone is talking about it, especially YouTubers, musicians, and content creators who are just adding fuel to the fire. A perfect example of a purple (polka-dot) cow. Certainly, the way they present themselves is truly extreme and teaches us that the further you push into the absurd, the easier it is to become unique and the easier it is to be discovered by anyone.
Certainly, the look and the lore behind Angine de Poitrine made all the difference. But what really gets new fans hooked is that behind the bizarre costumes and incomprehensible vocals, there are two extraordinary musicians who have managed to bring an extremely niche genre like math rock (odd time signatures, experimentation, dissonance) into a mainstream context, thanks to flawless songwriting that makes every song hypnotic and catchy even for those unaccustomed to odd time signatures, let alone microtonal music! 🤯
Personally, every time I find myself watching this performance, I get completely hooked—it’s really hard to look away. I’ve even been sharing it with friends and followers through memes.
For someone like me who loves odd time signatures and well-crafted dissonance, Angine de Poitrine are pure gold. And I think what really sets their sound apart is the groove they manage to convey even while playing a genre so far outside the traditional boundaries of pop music.
The lesson I’m taking from this is that uniqueness and originality exist on a spectrum. Angine de Poitrine have certainly reached the extreme end of that spectrum. This doesn’t mean that each of us artists must necessarily aim for the extreme end of the uniqueness spectrum, but the more willing we are to push toward that limit, the easier it is to stand out.
And even when playing a niche genre, if it’s paired with a distinctive image, the niche can easily be broken out of.
Translated with DeepL.com