DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Top Fresh Releases
Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released
Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass plus other genres. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which also functions as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, offer Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, channel equal parts moody vocalists 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; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.
The Top New Releases This Week
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for harmony and affection. “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 stunning Seyfried duet featured on his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, where the slightest touches of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, from runaway truck to the musician from Austin's woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.