Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with The Week's Best New Tracks

Hailing from Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy classic jangle-pop compilations, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass plus other genres. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and renowned underground polymath 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. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a neatly drawn guide to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere making music now. 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, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas the band Who Cares?, blend influences from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

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: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul where Flea pleads for harmony and affection. “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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet featured on the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this cellist from Madrid's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music featured in a Dune soundtrack, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies 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 on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe chugs along entirely at its own pace, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.