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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, featuring a diverse roster including percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and renowned underground polymath 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. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere making music now. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and a magnificently realised one: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this deeply gloomy comeback, 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 gothic masterpiece with industrial shades playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino flows over diverse, ethereal rap production by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone while he examines the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.