Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases
From Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, has built a reputation for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath 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. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, offer Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, channel equal parts 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 likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
This Week’s Best New Tracks
Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz where Flea pleads for peace and love. “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, you can imagine Blumberg winning 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 paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, 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 to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals by Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the drug trade.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track chugs along entirely at its own pace, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's woozy reflection about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.
