Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections and The Week's Top Fresh Releases
From Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release Going Back to Sleep out now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is renowned for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to churning drum'n'bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath 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 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 a hidden jewel from this year, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
On other parts of the compilation, 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 stands as a humble compilation that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz where Flea pleads for tranquility and compassion. “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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the Best Original Song award in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet featured on the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based 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 cataclysmic majesty.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over diverse, ethereal rap production courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the world of narcotics.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.