🔗 Share this article DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Experimental Compilations and The Week's Top Fresh Releases Based in Melbourne Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation Newest project 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to pulsating breakbeats and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner. In 2017, the label released 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 spiritual follow-up to that compilation which doubles as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane. On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s destined to be 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: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for peace and love. “No cheesiness here – this is the truth!” Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, one could envision Blumberg earning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song 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 on this richly despondent return, where the slightest touches of piano and woodwind shade her exhausted letdown. Umor Rex – Lo Animal You could easily imagine the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, metallic shrieks, spooky vocal harmonies and apocalyptic grandeur. Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up The creative Austrian producer and singer joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop. Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he observes the landscape of drug dealing. Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper Produced by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track chugs along entirely at its own pace, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.