DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with The Week's Top Fresh Releases
Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released
The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and much more. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure 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 record that acts as a companion piece which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. Sydney band Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling 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 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried featured on his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision the work of this Madrid cellist's industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.