Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks

From Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. Sydney band Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, blend influences from 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; 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 with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and a magnificently realised one: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling for tranquility and compassion. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, one could envision Blumberg earning the Best Original Song award in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of keys and wind instruments tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision the work of this Madrid cellist's industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, piercing industrial noises, eerie chorals and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol 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, British MC Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he surveys the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the musician from Austin's woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.