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Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, AU/NZ jangle-pop, art-pop experimentation
Newest project The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that can run the gamut from gelid ambient music to driving drum and bass and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, 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, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. More recently, it has issued Going Back to Sleep, a quasi-sequel to that record which doubles as a succinct overview to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere active today. The Sydney group Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, offer Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep features tracks from Bay Area indie fixtures the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble 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 for aficionados of music that is subtle and emotionally resonant.

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