Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Top Fresh Releases
From Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released
The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
In 2017, the label released 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 record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures 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 likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and it is superbly executed: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz where Flea pleads for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried included in the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies 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 beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the world of narcotics.
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 musician’s dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.