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

Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, has built a reputation for deeply absorbing musical journeys that often traverse from chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats plus other genres. 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 the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, Troth, a bass-heavy duo from Hobart, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out 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 quasi-sequel to that record which simultaneously serves as a neatly drawn guide to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts active today. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being an overlooked treasure of the year, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on 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, whereas Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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