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From Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, art-pop experimentation
Up next Going Back to Sleep out now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and beyond. He also runs A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which also functions as a carefully curated roadmap to some of the best twee-pop groups active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into percussive, psychedelic lounge pop on How Long on the Platform, whereas Who Cares?, channel equal parts 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; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s likely to grow into a beloved and regularly mentioned resource among connoisseurs of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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