DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Best New Tracks
From Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, featuring a diverse roster including percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner.
The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Sydney band Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the pair, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions 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. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.
The Top New Releases This Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the RHCP bass player, which is brilliantly accomplished: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for tranquility and compassion. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from the score for the film 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 keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and cataclysmic majesty.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the drums could knock you flat but the melody is almost dream-pop.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, British MC Jawnino rolls over varied cloud-rap beats by Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he observes the drug trade.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the musician from Austin's hazy daydream about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.
