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From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Latest release The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to issuing endearingly atmospheric avant-pop, featuring a diverse roster including percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, 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 compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, present Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, while Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, blend influences from Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s likely to grow into deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

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