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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 indie pop sound, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, has built a reputation for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that effortlessly shift between chilled-out soundscapes to driving drum and bass and beyond. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a neatly drawn guide to some of the best twee-pop groups active today. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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