🔗 Share this article Matthew Xue's Charmingly Moody Experimental Compilations along with The Week's Best New Tracks Hailing from Melbourne Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass and much more. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, 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, 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 simultaneously serves as a neatly drawn guide to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Sydney band Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, while the band Who Cares?, blend influences from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane. In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s almost certain to become deeply cherished and often cited with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional. The Top New Releases This Week Flea – A Plea An uncommon single release from the RHCP bass player, and a magnificently realised one: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for harmony and affection. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!” Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, it's easy to picture Blumberg taking home best original song in 2026 for this stunning Seyfried duet taken from his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee. Jana Horn – All in Bet The Texan songwriter depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment. Umor Rex – Lo Animal One might readily envision this Madrid-based cellist’s dark, gothic composition touched by industrial music playing over scenes in Dune, due to its seismic drum work, metallic shrieks, eerie chorals and apocalyptic grandeur. Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up Austrian visionary Zora Jones joins forces with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting 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 rides varied cloud-rap beats from Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he surveys the world of narcotics. Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper Helmed by Ty Segall, this garagey number propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, from runaway truck to the Austin musician’s woozy reflection about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.