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Hailing from Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, atmospheric pop
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and much more. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, featuring a diverse roster including the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and renowned underground polymath 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. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, comprising Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into well-loved and frequently referenced among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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