Mak & Shar: Brothers, Backroads and a Song Written in an Hour

Some songs take months to find. Others turn up somewhere between home and the next gig.

For brothers Mak & Shar, their new single “Drink You Up” was the latter.

Written in about an hour while travelling to a show, “Drink You Up” catches that uncomplicated moment when you're completely wrapped up in somebody and pretty happy about it. No heartbreak. No looking back in anger. No staring into the bottom of a whiskey glass. This one's about the good bit.

“It’s really about that carefree, summery feeling of being completely into someone and not getting enough of them,” the brothers explain. “It’s made for a slow drive with the windows down and the music up.” That's not a bad description of the song itself.

Bright, hooky and firmly planted in modern country-pop, “Drink You Up” shows a lighter and slightly cheekier side of Mak & Shar. And while it might have been written quickly, plenty of work went into what happened next.

Mak & Shar have always taken a hands-on approach to making records. They write, record and produce their own music — something that's increasingly become part of the identity of the band.

For “Drink You Up,” though, they decided to bring another set of ears into the room. The track was mixed and co-produced by Jared Adlam, whose credits include Mack Geiger and James Johnston. It was the first time the brothers had handed part of their process over to another producer. “This was our first time working with Jared on a song, and it was awesome,” they say.

“All our music so far has been self-produced, so having such a high-tier producer work on our song was incredible. We wanted to really take this one to the next level and Jared’s experience and expertise definitely achieved it.” The result keeps the natural energy of Mak & Shar while pushing things a little further — bigger production, a driving rhythm and a chorus designed to hang around long after the song finishes.

The musical connection between Mak & Shar didn't begin when somebody decided they should start a country band. It's been there pretty much their whole lives. Both brothers studied at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music, earning Bachelor of Music degrees, with Mak beginning university at just 15. Shar was already getting a taste of life on the road even earlier.

As a kid, he toured Australia playing a young Peter Allen in Hugh Jackman's production of The Boy From Oz, later appearing in Titanic the Musical. Different beginnings, perhaps, but eventually the road brought the brothers back together. And increasingly, that road has been leading into Australian country music.

Mak & Shar have appeared at CMC Rocks, Gympie Music Muster, Deni Ute Muster, Groundwater Country Music Festival and the Tamworth Country Music Festival** — a pretty solid collection of stamps in the passport for an emerging Australian country act.

Their previous single “Take Our Time On Forever” gave the brothers their strongest run yet.

It climbed to #3 on the AMRAP Community Radio Regional airplay chart, #5 nationally and #10 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian airplay chart. It also found its way onto Spotify's Heaps Country and Apple Music's New in Country and Lil Bit Country playlists. Useful numbers, sure.

But the real measure for a young band is often simpler: Are people listening? Are the rooms getting bigger? Are there more dates appearing on the calendar? For Mak & Shar, the answer seems to be yes.

The back end of 2026 has them crisscrossing the east coast, mixing headline shows with festivals and a support slot with **Mental As Anything**, before finishing the year at Broken Hill's New Year's Eve celebrations.

It's the old-fashioned way of building something. Write songs. Make records. Get in the car. Play shows. Repeat.

And somewhere on the drive to the next one, you might even write another song.

MAK & SHAR — ON THE ROAD

October 9 — Crossroads, Dubbo NSW
October 17 — Mudgee Racecourse, Mudgee NSW — with Mental As Anything
October 24 — Country Under the Dome, East Cessnock Bowling Club, Cessnock NSW
October 30 — The Beer Shed, Leumeah NSW
November 5 — Chattahoochee Joe's, Brisbane QLD
November 6 — Airlie Beach Festival of Music, Airlie Beach QLD
December 19 — Port Panthers, Port Macquarie NSW
December 31 — Broken Hill NYE, Sturt Park, Broken Hill NSW