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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ 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 engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and much more. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to putting out endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, featuring a diverse roster including the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, 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 spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts 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 seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, blend influences from 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; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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