DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks

Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, AU/NZ jangle-pop, atmospheric pop
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

In 2017, the label released I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a neatly drawn guide 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, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and a magnificently realised one: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul where Flea pleads for peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

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

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, where the slightest touches of piano and flute colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this cellist from Madrid's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rolls over diverse, ethereal rap production from Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin musician’s hazy daydream about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.