DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases

From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy classic jangle-pop compilations, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and the prolific underground figure 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 spiritual follow-up to that compilation which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, while the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul as Flea advocates for peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried included in the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, where the slightest touches of piano and flute colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting 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 courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.