DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations and This Week's Best New Tracks
Based in Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath 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. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, draw equally from 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. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become deeply cherished and often cited with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
This Week’s Best New Tracks
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul 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
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried included in the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this deeply gloomy comeback, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and apocalyptic grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rides diverse, ethereal rap production from Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the world of narcotics.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.
