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Hailing from Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass 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 endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

In 2017, the label released I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. This year saw the release of 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 active today. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for tranquility and compassion. “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, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet featured on the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

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