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Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and much more. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist 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. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, present Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

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Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 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 paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
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Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
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Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
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Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.