THERE have been times over the past five years where Dave Hosking believed it was impossible for Boy & Bear to continue.
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Unbeknownst to most outside the ARIA Award-winning Sydney band's immediate circle, their frontman was battling chronic illness, which had become increasingly debilitating since symptoms began in 2011 when Boy & Bear released their double platinum debut album Moonfire.
What doctors initially believed was chronic fatigue syndrome began to effect Hosking's nervous system, causing depression and anxiety, and at its worse, he even struggled to communicate.
Despite this Hosking continued to produce No.1 albums Harlequin Dream (2013) and Limit Of Love (2015) with Boy & Bear and toured internationally. However, by 2016 Hosking had hit a wall. He'd often forgot lyrics, struggled to understand his bandmates and was experiencing increasing pain.
"When we got to that point my concerns were more about would I ever be able to function?" Hosking said. "It [Boy & Bear] was almost lower down the list.
"I always felt if I could get better it was a motivation and a driver because I love what I do. We have a pretty great job and I'd like to do this for the rest of my life."
Hosking's slow recovery began when Professor Kerryn Phelps - the one-time federal member of Wentworth - discovered a bacterial issue in his stomach. Basically bacteria was poisoning his nervous system and creating neurone toxics.
After unsuccessfully trailing a variety of procedures, Hosking found relief in a radical treatment called faecal microbiota transplants, where poo from a healthy person is inserted through an enema.
Three months ago Hosking moved onto a less evasive lazer treatment, which has further improved his health, so much so that Boy & Bear are touring North America.
"I've come a long way and still have some way to go," Hosking said. "I have some significant cognitive challenges and my energy output is minimal. I'm still not surfing or running often.
"But the future is looking bright and there's a bunch of new protocols on the table which I'll try when I get home from this America tour.
"I have a quality of life, which is great. Right now, that'll have to be enough."
Hosking's improved health also allowed Boy & Bear to finally finish and release album No.4 Suck On Light last week.
The majority of the music was written by the other members of Boy & Bear while Hosking coped with his health problems. He then returned to the studio to complete the lyrics, which were surprisingly positive despite his ordeal.
Even the title track Suck On Light, which directly references the battle, is sung with a warmth and optimism typical of Boy & Bear.
"The whole record is a direct reflection of the sickness and the isolation," he said. "Once we started writing it came clear to me that we have to start writing about this to be honest.
"I hadn't done anything with my life for ages, as I'd been in the trenches so long. The challenge was if we're going to tell this story, we need to come from different angles so it doesn't feel completely heavy and depressed.
"In among it there was little celebrations of life and interesting little realisations."