Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations along with This Week's Best New Tracks
Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist 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. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as a hidden jewel from this year, present Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), venture into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and a magnificently realised one: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz with Flea calling for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture this Madrid-based cellist’s industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, 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 Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he surveys the world of narcotics.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garagey number chugs along entirely at its own pace, from runaway truck to the Austin-based artist's woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.