Gold Fields
Happy Boy


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"Happy Boy"

Sounds like: Strange Talk, Friendly Fires, Polaris at Noon, M.A.U.

What's so good?

By | January 31st, 2013

After mixing the masterpiece that was Hunting Grounds’ “Flaws“ last year (thank you, Jason Grishkoff, for turning me onto that one) and securing a place in my top 30 tracks last year, I was really looking forward to the directions Gold Fields would take. We’ve covered their previous single, “Dark Again,” but it wasn’t until this track that some of the magic of that remix returned.

Gold Fields capture the singularity of introspective turmoil that comes in the moments after a break-up so damn well. Through the use of inventive synths and arrangements, they let the listener feel every step and crawl out of the despair that sparked the relationship ending. There are no villains in a Gold Fields’ love song, and their ability to excel in protean wistfulness is what drives me back to the band.

I don’t know if this is purposeful yet — and I’m a little saddened at how much it still surprises me — but one of my favorite things about Gold Fields is how queer-friendly their tracks are. Usually I have to find gender-neutral songs or those sung by women, because, you know, singing in my room to a track that uses ‘girl’ feels disingenuous.

This is the second track Gold Fields has touched which uses a “he/he” gender dynamic, and it’s fucking glorious to have. That may seem like a small thing to some people, but when you spend your days inundated by heteronormative songs that don’t match your reality, it really isn’t.

Give them some love at their SoundCloud and find out for yourself why they were one of MTV’s 13 bands to watch in 2013.


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