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From Melbourne
Recommended if you like classic jangle-pop compilations, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Newest project Going Back to Sleep out now

Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for captivating and eclectic DJ sets that effortlessly shift between chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that massively punches above its weight 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, an assortment of charming guitar-pop reminiscent of the C86 era. This year saw the release of Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which simultaneously serves as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts making music now. Sydney band Daily Toll, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is a hidden jewel from this year, contribute Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. 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 the band Who Cares?, draw equally from moody vocalists Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, 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 the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited with fans of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

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Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
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