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Based in Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, Mess Esque
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, has built a reputation for engrossing, wide-ranging sets that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and much more. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that massively punches above its weight when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from the rhythmic explorations of 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, 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 succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, with a 2025 debut, A Profound Non-Event, that stands as one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a seven-minute melodica-and-guitar reverie. Chateau, the pair, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, while the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep showcases songs by the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; Sydney's minimalist outfit the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s almost certain to become well-loved and frequently referenced with fans of all things delicate and deeply felt.

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