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Hailing from Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that often traverse from chilled-out soundscapes to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as 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 compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from 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 destined to be well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling for tranquility and compassion. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, where the slightest touches of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music on the soundtrack to Dune, due to its seismic drum work, metallic shrieks, eerie chorals and apocalyptic grandeur.

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 drums could knock you flat but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, from runaway truck to the Austin-based artist's hazy daydream about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.