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Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between 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 releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was 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 quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group 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 for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for peace and love. “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 taken from the score for the film 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 piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s industrial-tinged gothic opus featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, eerie chorals and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino alert and locked in while he examines the world of narcotics.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.