DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations and The Week's Best New Tracks

From Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 compilation, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a neatly drawn guide to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, whereas the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet included in the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter captures the full spectrum of a sigh on this richly despondent return, in which minimal hints of piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer collaborates with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rides varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the musician from Austin's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.