DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations and The Week's Top Fresh Releases

Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next 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 can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo 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. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups active today. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo 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 includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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 where Flea pleads for tranquility and compassion. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, one could envision Blumberg earning best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this cellist from Madrid's industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, piercing industrial noises, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.