DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections and This Week's Top Fresh Releases

From Melbourne
Perfect for fans of classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is an overlooked treasure of the year, present 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?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and a magnificently realised one: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul where Flea pleads for harmony and affection. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried included in his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision the work of this Madrid cellist's industrial-tinged gothic opus featured in a Dune soundtrack, with its thundering drums, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's hazy daydream about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.