Music Review: Gold Fields – Black Sun

Released: February 6, 2013
Label: Astralwerks (Capitol/EMI)
Website: www.goldfieldsmusic.com
Review by: Carlos A. Ibarra

After stirring up waters in 2011 with their self-titled EP, Gold Fields looks to make huge waves this year with the release of their first full-length album, Black Sun. The Australian quintet’s latest effort is a mix of the band’s signature dance-pop singles, along with a few dark melodic tunes, all peppered in with tribal percussion and disco rhythms. Teaming up with big-name producers Mickey Petralia (Fight Of The Conchords, Peaches) and Scott Horscroft (Silverchair), Black Sun also features garage recordings from the bands hometown of Ballarat. The bands synthpop single “Dark Again (Lights Out)” showcases reverberating bass, swirling around popping guitar licks before building to a catchy chorus sung by, lead singer, Mark Fuller’s falsetto voice. Then, with just the slightest tempo change, the darker track “Happy Boy” incorporates Latin percussion spaced out over a disco bassline with an airy low-toned chorus speaking “when I walk out of here/ this place won’t change…I’m going to be happy.” Loaded with other great songs like “Treehouse”, “Meet My Friends”, and “The Woods”, Black Sun’s sound covers the span of time from Depeche Mode to the more current bands like Temper Trap and The Naked And Famous. Already dubbed one of MTV’s 2013 Artist to Watch, the band is also included on BuzzFeed’s Top 30 Bands Under 30 at this year’s SXSW.