Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations along with The Week's Best New Tracks

Based in Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, 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.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out 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 simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), venture into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused 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
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, one could envision Blumberg earning the Best Original Song award in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this deeply gloomy comeback, in which minimal hints of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s industrial-tinged gothic opus featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he surveys the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.