DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Best New Tracks
From Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
In 2017, the label released I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups active today. Sydney band Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), venture into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
The Top New Releases This Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, you can imagine Blumberg winning the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he surveys the drug trade.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.
