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Based in Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is celebrated for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that often traverse from icy, atmospheric ambience to driving drum and bass and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and the prolific underground figure 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. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a neatly drawn guide to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and sun-dappled folk-pop from Dutch duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource with fans of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

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