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Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging 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 delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, 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, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which doubles as a neatly drawn guide to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being one of the year’s underrated gems, contribute Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, draw equally from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by San Francisco indie stalwarts 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 a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz where Flea pleads for tranquility and compassion. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried taken from his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of piano and woodwind tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, with its thundering drums, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from 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
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.