COOKS & Bakers are a band who aren't afraid to chase their dreams.
On October 28 the Newcastle indie-rock three-piece will release their latest single Moment I'm Gone, which they hope will be the opening single of their eventual debut album in 2023.
The single will also kick-start their biggest tour to date, which includes their maiden shows in Melbourne and Byron Bay.
Cooks & Bakers have also recently joined Newcastle's Fuzion Management in a bid to further grow their brand.
All three members - vocalist-guitarist Campbell Ross (mechatronics/maths), bassist Nathaniel Duggan (law) and drummer Finn Ellem (teaching) - are preparing to finish university degrees this year.
And while their job prospects appear healthy, they're committed to giving themselves every chance to make Cooks & Bakers a viable career.
"That's the dream," Duggan said. "You've got to put yourself in the best position with those kind of things.
"That's one of the things we're pushing with this release coming. We thought we don't know realistically how long we can keep doing this?
"I don't know if we'll be doing it in another five years so we might as well give it a red-hot crack at the moment and put enough energy into it and give it as much opportunity as we can and see what happens after that."
Cooks & Bakers were one of the rare bands in the Newcastle music scene pre-2020, that continued grow during the pandemic.
In between lockdowns they released their debut EP, Out Of Touch, and performed a series of sit-down shows.
"When we started playing, all the ones we were playing with or supporting are not playing anymore," Duggan said.
"For us we had an EP lock and loaded before COVID happened, so we had that to push through.
"Just before COVID we had a good chunk of momentum and support and we didn't want to give up as we really appreciated that support and we wanted to keep moving forward to see what goals we could kick."
As far kicking goals go, Moment I'm Gone sails right over the black dot. AM-era Arctic Monkeys, Holy Holy and Kingswood's Creepin are obvious influences on the groove-based indie-rock track.
Moment I'm Gone was recorded in Coogee by Jack Nigro and James Osborn, formerly of Newcastle indie band The Treehouse Children. Cooks & Bakers plan to return to the studio next month to track the next single.
Moment I'm Gone is released on October 28 and Cooks & Bakers will launch the single at the Cambridge Hotel on November 26.
