DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks
From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy classic jangle-pop compilations, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to churning drum'n'bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.
Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a succinct overview to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for tranquility and compassion. “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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on 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 on this richly despondent return, in which minimal hints of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, due to its seismic drum work, screeching metallic sounds, eerie chorals and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rides varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone while he examines the world of narcotics.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, from runaway truck to the musician from Austin's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.
