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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, atmospheric pop
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

In 2017, the label released 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 spiritual follow-up to that compilation which doubles as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Sydney band Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, 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), push into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

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Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet featured on the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of keys and wind instruments colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music on the soundtrack to Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino focused and in the zone while he examines the world of narcotics.

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 dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.