Meet MTV's latest Artist To Watch: Gold Fields

When Australia's Gold Fields walk on stage, you wouldn't immediately think, "These guys are gonna make me DANCE tonight." In fact, the guys look pretty unassuming in person -- they're all unkempt hair, hoodies, and T-shirts -- except once the lights dim, all bets are off: Childhood friends Mark Fuller, Vinci Andanar, Luke Peldys, Rob Clifton, and Ryan D'Sylva set the stage on fire with their entrancing brand of tribal dance rock -- a synthy, new wave-influenced sound that recalls fellow Aussies Cut Copy and British club kings Bloc Party.

Read more about Gold Fields after the jump.

Although The "Treehouse" singers have filled the opening band slot for a couple years now (they've supported Diamond Rings, Crystal Castles, Datarock, and Pnau, to name a few), anyone Gold Fields supports should immediately do the nervous collar tug -- they're clearly an audience stealer. How do you think they nabbed their own MTV Artist To Watch Showcase at Bowery Ballroom only two short months after opening a show at the same venue?

It's also hard to believe that Gold Fields only have one four-song EP out, but it's a promising collection of playlist-ready singles. Now signed to Astralwerks Records, Gold Fields are this close to releasing their debut LP, Black Sun (listen to it here), which will feature a brand-new set of dancehall must-haves -- "Moves," "Dark Again," and "Treehouse" chief among them. Just take the mega-tribal "Dark Again," which is probably the best example of Gold Fields' signature lush, get-under-your-skin harmonies. Opening with heavy jungle drums and melodic "oh-oh-oh-oohs," "Dark Again" hurtles the listener into a web of hooky harmonious and a rich, synth-packed delivery. Things get more aggressive on "Moves," which evokes images of a U.K. dance floor circa 2007 where Arctic Monkeys, Friendly Fires, The Rapture, and Hot Chip are played back-to-back-to-back. (That's a club we want to live in, by the way.)

Now one of MTV's 2013 Artists To Watch, look out for Gold Fields' debut Black Sun when it drops Feb. 26, and catch them on tour when they hit Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Portland, and more cities in March.

+ Watch Gold Fields perform "Dark Again," "Happy Boy," check out an exclusive interview with the band, and stream Black Sun in full before it drops Feb. 26.

Photo credit: Astralwerks