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Based in Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to pulsating breakbeats and much more. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to putting out charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being one of the year’s underrated gems, contribute Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and a magnificently realised one: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz where Flea pleads for peace and love. “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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on his soundtrack to 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, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

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

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer collaborates 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, British MC Jawnino flows over diverse, ethereal rap production by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin-based artist's woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.