Gold Fields

Black Sun

It took Australian electro outfit Gold Fields two years and three tries to get their debut album right. Listening to the results, you can understand why they scrapped some big-name sessions and held out for these recordings made in a Ballarat garage. There’s a sense of wonder on Black Sun—exemplified on “The Woods” and the percussive “Treehouse,” which survives here in its original, homemade incarnation—that might have been tough to capture otherwise. That’s not to suggest, however, that Gold Fields picked up nothing from their apprenticeships with producers Mickey Petralia (Fight Of The Conchords, Peaches) and Scott Horscroft (Silverchair). The band have spoken of learning to simplify their songwriting thanks to these experiences, and the proof is in tracks like the single “Dark Again (Lights Out)” and “Happy Boy,” which use space to great effect, and ultimately ride chicken-scratch guitar and Mark Fuller’s falsetto to disco heaven. Exotic without ever being self-conscious, dreamy without ever missing the beat, and serious without losing the capacity for serious fun, Black Sun is a rare and heavenly event in the crowded universe of EDM.

Astralwerks

“Treehouse”