DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks

Based in Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that often traverse from gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, 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 compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as a hidden jewel from this year, offer Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by 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’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become deeply cherished and often cited with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul with Flea calling for harmony and affection. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried taken from the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas 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 this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals by Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.