Dublin-born, London-based artist/producer Michael Orange, better known as Feather Beds, shares his jangly post-punk single ‘Sport of Boxing’, on Wednesday, 5 April, 2023, the second off his upcoming album Softer Measures. The immersive new LP will be released on Friday, 26 May, 2023 on 12" vinyl and digitally via Strange Brew.

‘Sport of Boxing’ kicks off the second half of the album with New Wave-esque immediacy. The influence of The Cure, Cleaners From Venus, and more contemporary artists like Women bleed through as reverb washes over the listener.

“Lyrically, it's about trying to figure out who and what is good for you in your life,” Orange says of ‘Sport of Boxing’.

The new song follows lead single ‘Really Disney’, which received an enthusiastic reception from music fans in Ireland. ‘Really Disney’ enjoyed a first play from Dan Hegarty on RTÉ 2fm and a rave review in the March edition of The GOO, which called the track “deliciously off-kilter” and noted that it “augurs brilliantly for the album release.” Feather Beds also shared Neil Tolliday’s (of Bent and Champyun Clouds) dreamy remix of ‘Really Disney’ on 23 March, 2023.

Having been based in Montreal for a few years and then back to Dublin, the new LP sees Orange in London full-time and adopting a more austere approach to songwriting by incorporating elements of noise and drone alongside a backdrop of jangly guitars, homemade samples, and washed-out harmonies. Orange takes inspiration from math and prog rock, with unconventional time signatures hidden under the melodic surface of his music. Taking on production duties himself and working again with long-time collaborator Stephen Shannon (Mount Alaska, Strands) on mixing duties, Orange is due to make a triumphant return with Softer Measures.