DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations and This Week's Top Fresh Releases

Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, AU/NZ jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in 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. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, featuring a diverse roster including the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish 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 carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. 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.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs 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, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home 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 depicts all the nuances of melancholy on this deeply gloomy comeback, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture the work of this Madrid cellist's dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, screeching metallic sounds, spooky vocal harmonies and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones 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
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino focused and in the zone while he examines the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced 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 “my spirit is restored by the moon”.