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= Mako Road = Mako Road is a New Zealand alternative rock band that formed at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The band consists of four members – Rhian Ward (Lead Vocals & Guitar), Connor McElrich (Lead Guitar), Robbie Day (Drums), and Connor Jaine (Bass). They have been known for their “folk, ska and reggae” style of music which has attributed to the young band’s early success.

The band has engineered one album, two EP’s, and a number of independent singles. The most recent of which was the release of their debut album, Stranger Days, which dropped on July 30, 2021.

Mako Road’s two EP’s (The Green Superintendent & Local Safari) were both released in 2018 and quickly amassed over two million views on YouTube. As a result, the band has begun selling out Australasia festivals, concerts, and radio stations.

The band has been featured on Apple Music's top 100 charts in various countries, for a number of their songs – including All We Need, Surfing on Mars, and Drink from the Water. The band has been featured on the charts in New Zealand, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Singapore.

Three of the band's projects – Stranger Days EP, The Green Superintendent EP, and Local Safari EP – all landed in the top 40 on Apple Music's top 100 album chart in New Zealand between 2020–2021.

In 2021, the band amassed over 31 million streams on Spotify from more than 2 million listeners across 156 different countries.

Formation and Early Years
The band initially formed at the University of Canterbury when they began playing covers at small gigs and University parties. Rhian Ward, one of the original founding members and lead vocalists, eventually saw every member of the band graduate from University but himself – thus leaving the band all to himself.

Rhian and former members of the band then recruited the rest of the current members, who continued on the original group’s legacy – playing for University students and at smaller venues.

The band then began writing their own music, starting with their hit singles – ‘The Sun Comes Up’ and ‘Brodie Street/Daiquiri’. The two debut singles were both released in 2017 after the band was tired of continuing to cover other artists songs.

“We were just at Uni and we were playing covers at that point. But we played Wagon Wheel one too many times and we were like screw this, let’s write our own tunes,” Connor Jaine said about the early stages of the band in an interview with Vicky Hebbs of Amnplify in November of 2018.

Brodie Street/Daiquiri & The Sun Comes Up (2017)
The band released their first music in 2017, coming in the form of three singles titled ‘The Sun Comes Up’ and ‘Brodie Street/Daquiri’. ‘The Sun Comes Up’ helped in growing the band’s audience and gave them the opportunity to play at bigger venues and small music festivals.

In 2021, The Sun Comes Up now has over 18 million plays on Spotify, the music streaming services most popular song from the group.

The Green Superintendent (2018)
The band’s first EP was released in February of 2018 – titled ‘The Green Superintendent’. The project featured five songs, all of which are in the band’s top seven songs on Apple Music. The bands lead vocalist and guitarist, Rhian Ward, learned the trumpet for the project – featured in the song 'Ride ', the instrument was part of what helped make the EP so successful for the band.

Local Safari (2018)
The band followed up ‘The Green Superintendent’ with another EP – titled ‘Local Safari’. The project was released on 30 November 2018, in anticipation of their Summer 2018/2019 Australasia tour. The EP was inspired by the band’s experiences with both themselves and others.

As mentioned in the same 2018 interview with Amnplify where they discussed the formation of the band, Mako Road likened the album to making the most of what you’ve got, “It’s kind of about making the most of your own backyard, trying to find the hidden treasures in the things that surround you.”

Stranger Days (2021)
After spending time touring both Australia and New Zealand to play their music, Mako Road finally released their highly-anticipated first studio album – ‘Stranger Days’. The album featured eight songs, including singles ‘Surfing on Mars’, ‘Helicopter’, and ‘Don’t Keep me Waiting’.

The album was produced by the band itself but was engineered and mastered by James Goldsmith and Chris Chetland who have worked with the likes of Lorde, Snoop Dogg, and a number of similar sounding New Zealand bands.

Local Safari Tour (2018–2019)
Following the release of their EP, ‘Local Safari’, the band went on a summer tour performing at larger venues and at music festivals. The band performed 20 times in just over two months as they toured both Australia and New Zealand. The second last show of the tour saw them play in Christchurch, New Zealand – the city where the band first came together at the University of Canterbury.

Australian Tour (2020)
In April of 2020, Mako Road played eight shows across Australia – performing in popular cities such as Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.

Stranger Days Tour (2021)
In anticipation of their first studio album,  'Stranger Days', Mako Road announced a tour that featured 11 shows in one month. The tour was played at a number of venues between Australia and New Zealand.

The band was able to sell out five of their 11 shows, including all of the shows played in Australia.