A human series of polite smiles, young charms and positive energy, Weathered man main Upile Mkoka, although only 19, has already established himself as a strong contender on the Australian music scene. Hailing from Rockhampton his musical style generally involves acoustic guitars mingling around his soft yet gripping voice as he weaves tales through his songs.
Upile Mkoka’s Weathered is a serene acoustic soundtrack that is an joy to surrender to.
A natural performer, his ability for creating intricate and well developed pieces of art truly precedes his age. The kid just gets it. In his short but fruitful career Weathered has played at Agnes Water and Bundaberg, the Full Tilt Film Fesival, The Village Festival and released a couple of EP’s; the Journey on Foot EP released in 2010 and his self-titled Weathered EP in 2013 co- produced by Josiah Birrell.
Both EP’s contain that airy acoustic goodness we love so much, but differ greatly in tone. Journey On Foot is definitely more uplifted and upbeat, whereas Weathered is moodier and more bent on heartache than the latter EP, with Upile’s dreamy voice constantly cooing over his guitar like a sad lullaby. His latest single Days Like These was released on the 23rd of January this year, and still maintains the classic Weathered style we’ve come to know and love. (Huzzah)!
Successively plucking away with his charming acoustic introduction, Days Like These kicks off initially slow but deliberate, setting up a hazy, comfortable atmosphere for his listeners. His wispy voice soon joins in and lulls us into good places and memories. This softness then crumples away to a strong and elevated chorus line, complete with proud trumpets and, shall we say, pseudo aggressive drum beats that immediately secures your attention. Overall the song invokes a lazy, loved up moment in time by the singer. Very cute, very nostalgic, very successful (much wow).
Personally I love songs that use vivid imagery in their lyrics, it’s all “losing track of time”, “sun”, “feet” and “beetles” with this guy. And it works. Especially with the wispy, sentimental music accompanying it. I’m pretty sure a memory was implanted in my brain throughout the course of this song and if you must know it was watching the sun set on a hill with my childhood sweetheart (I’ll never forget you Bobby- Joe).
So if you’re craving those old nostalgic, cutesy, chilled out zones but don’t quite know how to reach them, I highly suggest you go and give old mate Weathered a quick look. You won’t be disappointed. So go check him out!
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