French kids aren't supposed to play pop-punk this well. Seriously. Back in 2007, when a group of friends from Paris decided to fuse the bouncy, sugar-crusted melodies of New Found Glory with the kind of guttural breakdowns that make your ribs rattle, nobody thought it would actually work. They named themselves Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!—a direct, somewhat clumsy nod to the 1985 cult classic The Goonies. It was a mouthful. It was goofy. It was, honestly, kind of a risk in a scene that took itself way too seriously at the time.
But it worked.
They didn't just survive the neon-colored era of "easycore"; they became its definitive face. While other bands from that mid-2000s wave burned out or pivoted to indie rock to stay "relevant," C!NCC stayed weirdly consistent. They leaned into the contrast. You've got Bert Poncet’s pristine, radio-ready vocals suddenly interrupted by a sonic sledgehammer. It’s jarring. It’s fun. And it’s exactly why Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! remains a staple on festival circuits like Slam Dunk and Resurrection Fest nearly two decades later.
The Birth of Easycore and the Goonies Connection
The band’s name comes from a specific scene in The Goonies where Sloth and Chunk arrive to save the day. "Hey you guys!" It’s a moment of pure camaraderie. That’s the vibe the band chased. When they released Something For Nothing in 2010, the music industry was in a weird spot. MySpace was dying. Facebook was taking over. Pop-punk was supposedly "dead" for the third time that decade.
Bert Poncet, along with his brother Bastien and their friends, didn't care about the trends in Paris or London. They cared about the breakdown. They cared about the "chug."
The term easycore—a portmanteau of pop-punk’s "easy" listening and hardcore—was largely popularized by New Found Glory’s "Easycore Tour," but Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! gave it a specific, European polish. Their debut album wasn't just a collection of songs; it was a manifesto. Tracks like "In Friends We Trust" became anthems for a generation of kids who liked breakdowns but didn't want to wear all black and be miserable. The lyrics were about loyalty. Being a "milf hunter" (yeah, they had that phase). Staying true to your roots. It was juvenile, sure, but the musicianship was terrifyingly tight.
People forget how much hate they got early on. Purists loathed them. The "hardcore" crowd thought they were a joke, and the "pop-punk" crowd thought they were too heavy.
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Why the 2011 Fearless Records Signing Changed Everything
If you were a scene kid in 2011, Fearless Records was the holy grail. When the label picked up Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and re-released Something For Nothing, the floodgates opened. Suddenly, these guys from France were on the Vans Warped Tour. Imagine that: five guys who barely spoke fluent English at the time, dropped onto a scorching hot parking lot in the middle of America, playing "Captain Blood" to thousands of screaming teenagers.
They stood out because they were happy. In a sea of brooding metalcore bands, Bert was smiling.
Fearless knew what they had. They didn't try to change the sound. Instead, they leaned into the "Pardon My French" branding. It was a clever way to acknowledge the language barrier while turning it into a badge of honor. It worked. The band’s sophomore effort, Pardon My French (2013), debuted on the Billboard 200. It was heavier, faster, and more aggressive, yet it still had those massive, sing-along choruses that stuck in your head for days.
Breaking Down the "Chunk" Sound: It's More Technical Than You Think
Don't let the neon shorts fool you. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! are incredible songwriters. Most bands who try to mix growls with pop melodies fail because the transition feels forced. It’s clunky. With C!NCC, the transition is the point.
They utilize a lot of "drop" tunings, often playing in Drop C or lower, which gives their guitars a thick, meaty texture usually reserved for deathcore. But then, they overlay these major-scale lead lines. It’s a literal sonic representation of a sugar rush followed by a crash.
- The Production: Bert Poncet isn't just a singer; he’s a world-class producer. He runs Alias Studio. He understands frequencies. This is why their records, especially Get Lost, Find Yourself (2015), sound so massive. The drums aren't just hitting; they’re exploding.
- The Syncopation: Listen to the drum patterns in "Haters Gonna Hate." They aren't just playing 4/4 time. There are subtle polyrhythms and syncopated kick patterns that keep the "core" part of easycore interesting for musicians.
- The Hooks: They have an uncanny ability to write a chorus that feels nostalgic even the first time you hear it.
The Hiatus That Wasn't Really a Hiatus
Between 2016 and 2020, things went a bit quiet in the Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! camp. Fans were worried. Was the "easycore" trend finally over? Bert was busy producing other bands. The members were living their lives.
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Then 2021 happened.
They dropped Gone Are The Good Days. It was a revelation. It didn't sound like a band trying to relive their youth; it sounded like a band that had grown up but refused to lose their sense of humor. The title track is arguably the best song they’ve ever written. It captures that bittersweet feeling of getting older while still wanting to stage dive into a crowd of strangers. It proved that Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! wasn't a fluke of the MySpace era—they were a legitimate force with staying power.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Band
There’s this misconception that they’re a "parody" band. Just because you have a funny name and a song about The Goonies doesn't mean you aren't serious about your craft.
Honestly, the "joke band" label is lazy. If you look at the technicality of their guitar work—the sweep picking hidden in the bridges or the complex vocal layering—it’s clear they spend thousands of hours in the studio. They’re perfectionists.
Another myth? That they only appeal to kids.
Go to a Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! show today. You’ll see 35-year-old accountants in the pit next to 19-year-old college students. They’ve become a "legacy" band for the alternative scene. They represent a specific era of internet culture where genres started to blur, and that resonates with anyone who grew up in the digital age.
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The Impact on the Modern Scene
You can hear C!NCC’s influence in a lot of current bands. When you hear a pop-trap artist suddenly drop a heavy guitar breakdown, or a band like Beartooth mix massive hooks with aggression, you’re hearing the DNA of what the French boys started in 2007. They proved that you don't have to choose a side. You can like the Backstreet Boys and Parkway Drive at the same time.
They also paved the way for international bands in the US scene. Before them, it was rare for a French rock band to achieve mainstream success in the States. They broke that ceiling. They showed that if the music is catchy enough and the breakdowns are heavy enough, nobody cares about your accent. They just want to jump.
Actionable Ways to Support and Explore the Band
If you’re just discovering them or looking to dive deeper, don't just stick to the hits.
- Listen to the deep cuts: "The Pot Is at the End of the Rainbow" and "Marigold" show a different, more melodic side of the band that often gets overlooked.
- Watch the music videos: They’ve always had a high production value. The video for "Gone Are The Good Days" is a nostalgic trip that perfectly explains their aesthetic.
- Check out Bert’s production work: If you like the "Chunk" sound, look up other bands recorded at Alias Studio. You’ll find that same punchy, polished energy across dozens of other artists.
- Follow their socials for tour updates: They don't tour as constantly as they used to, so when they do announce a run, tickets go fast. They’ve become a "must-see" live act because their energy is infectious.
The reality is that Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! shouldn't have worked on paper. A French band named after a kids' movie playing a hybrid of two clashing genres sounds like a recipe for a one-hit-wonder. Instead, they became the kings of their own niche. They stayed true to a sound that they loved, even when it wasn't cool, and eventually, the rest of the world caught up. Whether you call it easycore, pop-punk, or just high-energy rock, there’s no denying the footprint they’ve left on the scene.
Next time you’re feeling a bit stuck or life feels a little too heavy, put on Pardon My French. It’s impossible to stay in a bad mood when those first chords hit. It’s loud, it’s aggressive, and it’s unashamedly fun. That’s the legacy of Chunk. No gimmicks, just riffs.