Last night (September 22), Quebec experimental rock duo Angine de Poitrine took home both the 2026 Polaris Album Prize for Vol. II, and the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize for “Fabienk.”
Presented by the CBC, both Prizes were handed out as part of the 2026 Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony that took place at Massey Hall in Toronto. Selected by a jury, both Polaris Prizes recognize Canadian music based solely on artistic merit, without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation.
For winning the Polaris Album Prize, Angine de Poitrine received a $30,000 monetary reward courtesy of the Slaight Family Foundation. They were also given an additional $10,000 courtesy of SOCAN for the Polaris Song Prize.
The self-described “Mantra-Rock Dada Pythago-Cubist Orchestra” from Saguenay who dress in black and white polka dot costumes and large masks have taken the world by storm since their recording session at Seattle’s KEXP went viral back in February.
Since that moment, pressings of their albums sold out, the band has toured the world, and last week made their U.S. late-night television debut performing on The Tonight Show.
While members Khn and Klek rarely speak, the band’s manager Sébastien Collin said some words on their behalf.
“That all this attention is being directed toward music this rock-driven and this complex is unexpected, yet entirely deserved,” he said. “This artistic project is the result of a lifetime of refinement, collaboration, a drive to push beyond one’s limits, and a refusal to be confined by any established framework. Beyond the innovation and the extreme level of difficulty, the band has managed to create music that is incredibly catchy and accessible, which makes it all the more impressive.
“Congratulations to Angine de Poitrine, congratulations to the other nominees for innovating in their own ways, and thank you to Polaris for this tremendous recognition.”
Also honoured at the gala were The Watchmen and the late Willie Dunn, whose respective landmark albums, McLaren Furnace Room (1992), and, Willie Dunn (1971), were honoured with 2026 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize designations, which commemorate exceptional Canadian albums from the past.
Watch Angine de Poitrine accept their award below.