DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases

From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Up next '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 icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to putting out charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s almost certain to become deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates 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 the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet included in the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter captures the full spectrum of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he surveys the world of narcotics.

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