Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections and This Week's Top Fresh Releases

From Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out 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 simultaneously serves as a neatly drawn guide to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is an overlooked treasure of the year, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas the band Who Cares?, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

Fresh Tracks of the Week

Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul with Flea calling for peace and love. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!”

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 Best Original Song award in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet featured on the score for the film 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, where the slightest touches of piano and woodwind tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, with its thundering drums, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rolls over diverse, ethereal rap production by Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Produced by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the musician from Austin's hazy daydream about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.