Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases

Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that effortlessly shift between icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from 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, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, offer Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into 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; 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 likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and it is superbly executed: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, you can imagine Blumberg winning the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried included in the score for the film 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, as delicate traces of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the world of narcotics.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s hazy daydream about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.