Review| Angine de Poitrine – Vol. II

By Evan McGill 

Self-released

This album, for me, was a surprise. After only recently discovering Angine de Poitrine through their live performance on KEXP. I was excited to get an early listen of their upcoming album ‘Vol. II‘, released on April 3rd.

Overall Angine de Poitrine‘s ‘Vol. II‘ feels less like a structured album and more like a series of unstable moments stitched together. It leans fully into chaos, but there’s still a strange sense of control running underneath it. It’s clear upon first listen to ‘Vol. II‘ for me, the duo are purposely leaning into more heavier sounds than previously in ‘Vol. I‘.

The opening track on ‘Vol. II‘ is their latest single ‘Fabienk‘, this track sets the tone straight away with a heavy, almost oppressive, bass presence that carries through most of the track. Around the halfway point, the percussion becomes more frantic, with crashing cymbals taking over before everything suddenly drops out. The break feels disorienting like the static at the end of an old TV broadcast or falling into empty space before the bass cuts back in. Slowly building back momentum ready for all that feeling and movement to jump straight back in like it never left before closing on a short, sustained vocal that feels out of place but intentional.

‘Mata Zyklek‘ opens with a slower, punchy bassline but the guitar brings this track alive leaning toward an old-surf rock vibe, similar to  almost like a distorted version of ‘Miserlou’. It builds in a more predictably, breaking for a guitar solo midway through before returning to its main melody. Compared to the track one ‘Fabienk‘, it feels more structured, even if it still holds that tension and unease.

‘Sarniezz‘ snaps back. The heavier bass and simple drums, both mimicking the tempo of an old jazz-swing band. The guitar work is where it becomes unpredictable. The riffs, which reminds me of falling feeling you get in your dreams. It sounds bizarre but it was truly what came to mind upon hearing it. The riff’s never resolving in the way you expect. It’s chaotic, but not random more like controlled disorder.

The fifth track ‘Utzp‘ stands out as one of the more distinctive tracks. It starts with a loose, almost busker-style guitar melody, giving off a kind of street jazz feel. The percussion becomes sharper and more layered, and the whole track feels almost Eastern European in tone, like recreating an accordion sound without using one. The middle section collapses into full calculated chaos before coming to a complete stop then swiftly pulling itself back into a more familiar surf-rock-driven sound.

‘Yor Zarad‘ opens with a drawn-out wailing sound and settles into a repeating guitar phrase broken up by stabs of bass and hi-hats. There’s a constant tension between repetition and interruption. As it fades, a softer melody comes through that almost sounds similarly to a boss fight in any old video game, before cutting into a short, looping segment built around just two notes which is oddly reminiscent of early nu-metal.

The final track, ‘Angor‘, feels like the end of a gig, one last push just when you think all energy is gone. Prolonged notes keeping you hooked for one final burst. It still uses the same minimal bass phrasing heard earlier in the album, but it’s slower and less aggressive. It doesn’t rush into chaos in the same way as the other tracks, instead letting things sit for longer. By the final third, the guitar takes on an almost bagpipe-like tone, ending the album on a stretched, bending note that feels unresolved but calmer.

‘Vol. II‘ doesn’t try to guide the listener into easy listening or make them make sense of it all. It’s messy and loud but it doesn’t feel accidental one bit. Instead of traditional structure, it focuses on feelings, repetition, and quick but exciting bursts, making it feel more like an experience six songs on an album.