DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases
Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from icy, atmospheric ambience to pulsating breakbeats and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist 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 also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is an overlooked treasure of the year, present Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push 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.
In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s destined to be well-loved and frequently referenced with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.
This Week’s Best New Tracks
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for peace and love. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!”
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 his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, where the slightest touches of piano and flute colour her weary disappointment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, screeching metallic sounds, eerie chorals and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones joins forces with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo to deliver pounding 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 rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number chugs along entirely at its own pace, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.
