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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass plus other genres. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to putting out charmingly moody experimental pop music, featuring a diverse roster including percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which doubles as a neatly drawn guide to some of the best twee-pop groups making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, 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, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group 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 all things delicate and deeply felt.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: propulsive but exploratory soul-jazz as Flea advocates 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, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried taken from the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas captures the full spectrum of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this cellist from Madrid's industrial-tinged gothic opus featured in a Dune soundtrack, with its thundering drums, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing yet the melody approaches dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, The UK's Jawnino rides an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino alert and locked in as he surveys the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garagey number moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the musician from Austin's hazy daydream about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.