🔗 Share this article

Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, featuring a diverse roster including the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist 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. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a succinct overview to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, offer Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet included in the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this richly despondent return, in which minimal hints of keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals by Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the drug trade.

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 woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.