DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations and This Week's Best New Tracks
Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now
The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.
The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which simultaneously serves as a neatly drawn guide to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.
The Top New Releases This Week
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and a magnificently realised one: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling 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, one could envision Blumberg earning the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet included in the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, in which minimal hints of piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades playing over scenes in Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, eerie chorals and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the drug trade.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.
