After a nearly five year hiatus, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! have re-emerged with a vibrant new album Gone Are the Good Days that goes beyond the musical blueprint developed on their earlier releases. Those first three albums provided listeners with an eclectic mix of pop-punk/ metal that was flush with metallic riffs and guttural screams that was quickly tabbed as “easycore” by music critics worldwide. This time around for Gone Are the Good Days the quintet wanted to experiment with a new, more mature platform that expanded further beyond the critically acclaimed Something For Nothing and Pardon My French that simultaneously would push the band towards new horizons in sound and growth. Conceptually started in 2016 after Get Lost, Find Yourself the Paris-born band initially struggled on writing new material and decided to step back into normal life. Fast forward to early 2020 with the world strickened by the COVID-19 pandemic and an excess amount of time at their disposal, the band started rearranging earlier material and writing remotely. Suddenly the magic was back!
“If I’m being very honest, the initial plan last year when we started writing songs was not to make an album — we weren’t so ambitious,” lead singer Bertrand Poncet says. “We started with the idea of making a few singles, possibly for festivals that were supposed to happen. A few singles became an EP, and an EP became an album.”
“Bitter,” the opening cut off the fourth LP from Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! has the feel and familiarity of an old forgotten friend who is now a little more mature and polished than the one you remember. The opening power riffs and rhythmic drum beat set the tone before it abruptly stops with Bertrand Poncet boldly announcing, “It’s been a long time coming and I know it.” Noticeable from the start is a renewed energy and vibrancy from the band that seemed to be lacking on the third album. “Bitter,” really is the perfect elixir for the first cut.
Standout tracks abound on Gone Are the Good Days. “Painkillers,” features a killer breakdown with tension filled rhythms while “True Colors,” reaches new heights with a blossoming chorus that builds on the sonic intensity. The Dangerous Summer’s AJ Perdomo is prominently featured on “Complete You,” which the listener can finally discern the past from the future. Sonically, the delivery is a hybrid mix consisting of guitar and piano undertones that works as a fine balance between their old and new sounds. Longtime fans will be taken aback by the saxophone solo, which is a first on any Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! album. Even on “Drift Away,” the punchy hooks and bouncy metal inspired breakdowns sound tighter than ever culminating into catchier, pop/rock melodies that lends credence to the reinvigorated groups new and deeper sound.
Filled with summery hooks and topnotch production, this is a new sound we’re hearing from Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! They’re delving deeper into catchier, pop/rock melodies which allows them to expand their appeal to a larger audience. Even the tracks that start off more acoustic or indie-leaning, like “Marigold,” and “Good Luck,” end up switching to an easycore chorus and hook that maintains the conceptual integrity of the album.
Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! didn’t forget about the fans that have been there for the duration either. Gone Are The Good Days is filled with and hard-hitting hooks and melodies that should make the most discriminating fan happy. A majority of the songs such as “Drift Away,” and “Fin,” have a very classic sound and vibe, highlighted by a nominal amount of traditional post-hardcore breakdowns that are appeasing and welcome. “Made for More,” is a up tempo burner full of crushing guitar riffs from the start that pays respect to some of the bands most prolific early cuts.
Chunks time away from music has revitalized the band and allowed them to explore and test new concepts that they could not have done in the past. Gone Are The Good Days still has the in your face guitar hooks and catchy melodies, but now they are more polished and refined. This effort solidifies the next step in their evolution and lays a new creative foundation to be built upon for the future. Gone Are The Good Days was a redemption in many ways – proving to themselves they had more to say and wringing out something pure from the pandemic era.
“The album was a way for us to turn the 2020 bullshit into a better mindset,”……“To give us a better future.” ~Bertrand Poncet
1. Bitter
2. Drift Away
3. Gone Are The Good Days
4. Marigold
5. Made For More
6. True Colors
7. Good Luck
8. Complete You
9. Blame It On This Song
10. Painkillers
11. Tongue Tied
12. Fin.