🔗 Share this article DJ Moopie's Charmingly Moody Curated Collections along with The Week's Top Fresh Releases Hailing from Melbourne Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque Up next Going Back to Sleep out now The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner. The label's 2017 release was 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 spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, offer Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane. In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by 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. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt. Fresh Tracks of the Week Flea – A Plea A seldom-seen individual effort from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz where Flea pleads for peace and love. “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 the Best Original Song award in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried taken from his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee. Jana Horn – All in Bet This songwriter from Texas paints in every shade of a sigh on this deeply gloomy comeback, in which minimal hints of keys and wind instruments shade her exhausted letdown. 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, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and apocalyptic grandeur. Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop. Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino flows over diverse, ethereal rap production from Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the world of narcotics. Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.