From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-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 celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, 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 simultaneously serves 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, contribute Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz 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 for this stunning Seyfried duet included in 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 piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, screeching metallic sounds, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times 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 on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe chugs along entirely at its own pace, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin musician’s hazy daydream about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.
