DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks
Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar 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, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.
In 2017, the label released 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 doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from 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’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
The Top New Releases This Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates for peace and love. “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, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried included in his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh 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 this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, haunting choral passages 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 to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats from Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he surveys the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.