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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Australian and New Zealand guitar 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 captivating and eclectic DJ sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and beyond. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and renowned underground polymath 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. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being 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), explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble 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 among connoisseurs of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz where Flea pleads 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, one could envision Blumberg earning best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from the soundtrack he composed for The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, in which minimal hints of keys and wind instruments 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, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, eerie chorals and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rides varied cloud-rap beats from Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin musician’s hazy daydream about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.