Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections and The Week's Top Fresh Releases
Hailing from Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release '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 chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats plus other genres. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, featuring a diverse roster including London-based percussionist 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 compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a neatly drawn guide to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
This Week’s Best New Tracks
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul 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, one could envision Blumberg earning best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet included in the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, in which minimal hints of keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, screeching metallic sounds, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the drug trade.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.