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Hailing from Melbourne
Perfect for fans of classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
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 can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was 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 quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a succinct overview to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as an overlooked treasure of the year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

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 peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of keys and wind instruments tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this cellist from Madrid's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and apocalyptic grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
On new mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino flows over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed 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 dazed reverie about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.