Design de Poitrine

Get Inspired by Smash-Hit Rock Duo Angine de Poitrine

Microtonal music isn’t for everyone. At least it wasn’t until Math Rock duo Angine de Poitrine exploded into the mainstream. In early 2026, radio station KEXP released a video of (Quebecois) space aliens Khn and Klek performing a short set. Since then, the masked guitarist/bassist-and-drummer duo have entranced millions with their hypnotic, looping rhythms. And a lot of first-time listeners likely stuck around to watch that video long enough to become fans because of the band’s unique, black-and-white, polka dotted aesthetic.

Polka Dotted Planet

Other groups like Daft Punk, GWAR and The Residents have also hidden their offstage identities behind elaborate costumes. But none, we submit, have yet reached such cartoonish, yet stylish heights as Angine de Poitrine.

While their appearance has evolved since the group’s inception in 2019, the colours and shapes are the same—as is the DIY spirit. The bumps and lumps of their papier-mache and cardboard masks is part of the charm.

Khn, the guitarist/bassist, has a phallic nose, dollar signs for eyes, and a golden-tassel goatee and mane. His attire includes a jumpsuit and a huge, upside-down pyramid hat with a golden triangle on it. Klek, the drummer, has a giant, domed head (with pyramid eyes and a swinging, phallic nose) topped with a golden pyramid. He wears a tunic with a golden triangle on it, tights, and canvas shoes. Where flesh is exposed, the pair have painted themselves in black and white polka dots.

Dada Shaped

So where did these aliens come from? (Besides outer space, via Quebec, that is.) The band self-describes their genre as “Dada Pythago-Cubist Mantra-Rock.” Leaving the math and rock aside, we’ll focus on the terms “Dada” and “Cubist.” These early-modern art movements both responded to a changing world and to increasing exposure to African art. Looking at key works from each of these movements may provide insight into Khn and Klek's origins.

Photo by Johnell Pannell via Unsplash. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907.

Cubism rejected lifelike representation in art, and instead used geometrical abstraction to portray underlying emotions and experiences. In 1907, Pablo Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, which depicts five female figures in a brothel. Two of these figures have particularly abstract faces, with angular features and enlarged noses, resembling African sculptures. Angine de Poitrine wear similarly exaggerated masks, which hide their presumably human forms. By masking themselves, they are able to get at something beyond just two guys jamming. Whatever that thing is, it is powerful.

Dadaists were similarly interested in rejecting the status quo in order to get at something deeper. The club that likely gave the movement its name was Zurich’s Cabaret Voltaire. At this cabaret in 1916, writer and actor Hugo Ball performed his “sound poem” (i.e., a poem without words) Karawane. He wore a paper priest costume that would not look out of place in a UK election slate, or onstage with Angine de Poitrine. In fact, Angine de Poitrine’s lyrics could also be described as sound poems.

Get the Look

If you can’t get tickets to see Angine de Poitrine, we feel your pain. But with the money you aren’t spending in processing fees, you can decorate your home with nods to the band’s aesthetic. Geometric art prints are a tasteful way to add in subtle hints of your devotion to dots and triangles. On the other end of the spectrum, you could fully embrace the lifestyle with black and white dotted sheets. Or perhaps you would prefer an illuminated pyramid. (But steer clear of gold tassels, in most cases.)

Although Khn has dollar signs for eyes, buying expensive home décor items may subvert the group’s non-commercial ethos. So, you could always get busy with some black and white paint. We know two aliens who would approve. AF