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From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, atmospheric pop
Up next The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that often traverse from chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and 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 issuing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.

In 2017, the label released 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 quasi-sequel to that record which also functions as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere making music now. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is an overlooked treasure of the year, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, whereas the band Who Cares?, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s almost certain to become deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Flea – A Plea
A rare solo track from the RHCP bass player, and it is superbly executed: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul where Flea pleads 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, one could envision Blumberg earning the Best Original Song award in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried featured on his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, as delicate traces of piano and flute tinge her fatigued disillusionment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s industrial-tinged gothic opus playing over scenes in Dune, with its thundering drums, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer joins forces with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over varied cloud-rap beats courtesy of Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged while he examines the drug trade.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.