Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with This Week's Best New Tracks
Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Latest release Going Back to Sleep out now
Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. 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 some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. Sydney band Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
This Week’s Best New Tracks
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this deeply gloomy comeback, as delicate traces of piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this cellist from Madrid's industrial-tinged gothic opus playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, screeching metallic sounds, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist teams up with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the world of narcotics.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, from runaway truck to the musician from Austin's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.
