🔗 Share this article Matthew Xue's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections along with The Week's Best New Tracks Based in Melbourne Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, AU/NZ jangle-pop, atmospheric pop Newest project The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets 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 remarkable DIY imprint that massively punches above its weight 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 esteemed multi-disciplinary artist Simon Fisher Turner. The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, offer 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), push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, draw equally from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane. Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt. Fresh Tracks of the Week Flea – A Plea A rare solo track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for tranquility and compassion. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!” 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 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried taken from the soundtrack he composed for 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, where the slightest touches of piano and flute shade her exhausted letdown. Umor Rex – Lo Animal One might readily envision the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, due to its seismic drum work, screeching metallic sounds, haunting choral passages and apocalyptic grandeur. Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist joins forces with UK bass producer DJ Polo from Bristol for some slamming ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering but the melody is almost dream-pop. Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rolls over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals courtesy of Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino alert and locked in as he observes the drug trade. Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin-based artist's hazy daydream about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.