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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and much more. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, 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, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is an overlooked treasure of the year, present 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, and Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit 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 a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and it is superbly executed: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling for peace and love. “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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from his soundtrack to 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, as delicate traces of piano and flute colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this cellist from Madrid's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe 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”.