Angine de Poitrine win both the 2026 Polaris Music Prize and the SOCAN Song Prize

Aliens won big on Tuesday night during the 2026 edition of the Polaris Music Prize as Angine de Poitrine took home both the album prize for Vol. II worth $30,000 and the SOCAN song prize for “Fabienk” worth $10,000.

The gala presentation before the awards were announced featured performances by most of the shortlisted nominees at downtown Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall. All of the performances were moving and so singularly representative of the artists onstage. Beverly Glenn-Copeland, along with wife Elizabeth Copeland, opened the gala with the gorgeous “Let Us Dance (Movement One)” and the emotional, moving “Harbour (At Hotel2Tango).” Next, Charlotte Cornfield performed the standout title track “Hurts Like Hell” and “Kitchen.”  

Energetic performances of the night included Aquakulture, Tanya Taqaq, Begonia, and the long-listed Slash Need, with an interpretation from Peaches’ shortlisted record, No Lube So Rude. Aquakulture gave a powerful and commanding performance of “Gallows” and “Scotia Born,” while the former Polaris Prize winner Tagaq’s “Exit Wound” was extraordinary, as all Tagaq shows are, demanding such rigorous attention. Bibi Club brought their album, Amaro, to life on the Massey stage and the crowd joined in on a brief singalong to “Alouette” before Les Louanges’ set. Angine de Poitrine performed last, opening with the soon-to-be award winning, “Fabienk.” 

Polka dots were an informal theme of this year’s Polaris Music Prize gala, with fans of the math-rock band from Saguenay donning their best circles and gushing about the band’s lore. It was a not-so-subtle public wish that the duo from space would win.  

Angine de Poitrine’s unbelievable rise and swell in fandom, according to Jeff Waye, co-founder and vice president at Third Side Music, Angine de Poitrine’s music publisher, really comes down to artistic devotion and talent.  

“The guys’ commitment to the concept, bringing such absurdist and avant-garde concepts to the stage, is the entry point for a lot of people. But, ultimately, they stay because Angine de Poitrine absolutely rips as musicians. Oh, we all groovin’ to 9/4 shreds? Hell yeah! Maybe everything isn’t terrible out here.” 

This year, in a first in the prize’s history, the entire Polaris jury—comprised of music and culture workers, journalists, creators, and more—all had a vote for who took home these awards. SOCAN’s Tanya Van Luven, director of publisher relations, and Jeremy Dutcher, a two-time Polaris Prize winner, handed out the awards to the duo. Credited writers on “Fabienk” include Khn de Poitrine and Klek de Poitrine.  

Angine de Poitrine just keeps winning, and the year’s not over yet. These Canadian awards are incredible markers in their career, especially since, in the same month, they made their U.S. late-night television debut.  

“I love that something this outsider can rise up to this level. It will allow us to continue to shine a light on how good this band is,” Waye says. “[This is] a true victory for weird Canada, and particularly the Quebec scene that has long fostered a unique experimental underground. The range of talent across the whole Polaris Prize evening last night was an incredible display, and exactly why we as a publisher with global presence will always stay rooted in Canada.” 

Photos by Dishita Shah