Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Best New Tracks
Hailing from Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass and much more. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a succinct overview to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), venture into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates for tranquility and compassion. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, where the slightest touches of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision the work of this Madrid cellist's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, screeching metallic sounds, eerie chorals and cataclysmic majesty.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's hazy daydream about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.
