New Jersey's The Melancholy Kings share 'UV', showcasing new album 'Her Favorite Disguise'

January 8, 2026

New Jersey rockers The Melancholy Kings kick off 2026 with the single 'UV', a quasi-psychedelic musical journey drawing from Thomas Pynchon’s novel "V", a post-modern homage that follows the enigmatic heroine V and the Whole Sick Crew, brought to life through crunchy guitar riffs, psychedelic keyboards, string interludes, a quasi-rap and a bacchanalian finale.

'UV' is featured on their sophomore album 'Her Favorite Disguise', recently released via Magic Door Record Label. This song features contributions by famed trumpeter Mac Gollehon (David Bowie, Al Jarreau, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Hall and Oates), who added his sick improvisations in the outro, cellist Carolyn Jeselsohn, who performs Scott Selig’s Beatle-esqe string arrangements, and vocalist Olivia Selig with some soulful belting at the end of the song.

The Melancholy Kings' core is singer-guitarist Mike Potenza (The Anderson Council, Crash Harmony, BARD, Gramercy Arms) and bassist Scott Selig (Ambulance, Uncle Moon, Deni Bonet Band, Super Tuesday), who met amidst corporate life in Manhattan, learning they were both active in the '90s-'00s NYC indie scene, playing in various "almost-famous" bands, touring and opening for legendary artists. They ultimately rededicated themselves to music, solidifying their lineup with drummer Paul Andrew (Fluffer, Phantom Tollbooth) and guitarist Peter Horvath (The Anderson Council).

"I wanted both the music and lyrics to embrace multiple genres like the book “V” and the main character, who transforms in many unexpected ways. So we worked in rock, psychedelic, some rap and a classical vibe with the strings and the lyrics being purposefully impressionistic. This song is this kind of mixture with a lot of different things happening, but in the end comes together," says Michael Potenza.

Scott Selig adds, “From the start, we wanted the studio version of this song to have a kaleidoscope of aural ear candy, with trippy effects, multiple guitar layers, electric piano, strings and horns. The song originated as a riff, chord progression and embryonic song structure that I recorded and sent to Mike, who fleshed it out and added the lyrics. The band worked up the final arrangement collectively."

This long-awaited follow up to their 2019 eponymous debut record, 'Her Favorite Disguise' is an unapologetic nod to the rough-hewn '80s pre-grunge alt-rock era. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Crash Harmony) at Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, NJ, this album also involves Elk City vocalist Reneé LoBue, accordionist Carl Riehl (Michelle Shocked, Uncle Moon), and Ketchem on percussion.

"The video alludes to, without overtly referencing, the characters in the novel “V” – in particular the mysterious title character. It juxtaposes colorful outdoor band performance footage with black & white vignettes (shot old-school on 16mm film) of a V-like woman from various indeterminate time periods in and around New York City, perhaps engaged in semi-clandestine activities," says Scott Selig.

"Later, they are joined by assorted characters (beatniks, punks, flappers, intellectual revolutionaries, hippies, a Russian spy, a Bierkeller-Madl, a recluse) to form a colorful debauched bacchanal, in an indirect nod to The Whole Sick Crew from the novel. An unforecasted rain shower drenched our party, but I think that ended up contributing to a more absurd and interesting atmosphere. The video concept was fleshed out and brought to fruition with the help of emerging cinematographer Jordan Miller, filmmaker Madeleine Grace Smith as “V”, and our friends and family as The Whole Sick Crew".

'Her Favorite Disguise' taps into the vicissitudes of life in the Big Apple and its homely step-sister across the Hudson, celebrating and cringing at its rich tapestry and follies. 'Bitcoin Elegy' explores the inevitable decline of meaningful personal relationships in the digital age. Jangly guitar rocker 'Victoria' was resurrected from days of wearing down the grooves of their REM and Replacements records. 'Astor Place'recounts the familiar tale of suburban exodus to Jersey's promised land, and 'New Girl' tells the lonely tale of a man hopelessly in love with a film noir siren.

As of January 8th, 'Her Favorite Disguise' is available on limited edition 12" vinyl. Digitally, the album is out everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. The Melancholy Kings perform next in NYC at The Delancy on February 12 and at The Meat Locker in Montclair, NJ on March 21 for their official album release show.

CREDITS
Mike Potenza – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, pedal steel, keyboards & percussion
Scott Selig – electric and upright bass, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals & percussion
Peter Horvath – lead vocals on 9, backing vocals, guitars & percussion
Paul Andrew – drums & percussion
Mac Gollehon – trumpet on 7 & 8
Carolyn Jeselsohn – cello on 3 & 8
Ray Ketchem – various percussion
Reneé LoBue – vocals on 5
Carl Riehl – accordion on 5 & 7
Olivia Selig – vocals on 2, 4, 5 & 8
All songs by Mike Potenza except, Track 2 by Mike Potenza & Peter Horvath;
Track 8 by Mike Potenza & Scott Selig; Track 9 by Robert Pollard
Published by Hamilton Publishing (BMI) © 2025 except:
2 by Hamilton Publishing (BMI) / Peter Horvath (BMI) © 2025
9 by Needmore Songs (ASCAP) © 2022
Produced by Ray Ketchem, Scott Selig & The Melancholy Kings
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording, Montclair, NJ
Additional recording at The Old Stone House, Maplewood, NJ
String arrangements on Tracks 3 & 8 by Scott Selig
© 2025 The Melancholy Kings
Released by Magic Door Record Label
Cover art by Reneé LoBue
Art & design by Ray Ketchem
Photo on LP sleeve by Sonya Selig
Video directed by Scott Selig & Jordan Miller
Director of Photography: Jordan Miller
Video edited by Scott Selig
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

New Jersey's The Melancholy Kings announce 'Victoria' single, previewing sophomore album

October 23, 2025

New Jersey rockers The Melancholy Kings present their latest single 'Victoria', a jangly guitar rocker resurrected and revamped from the time when the band members were busy wearing down the grooves of their REM, Miracle Legion and Replacements records. As the story goes, we all have our demons, and it’d be nice if we could all help each other exorcise them. This is the second taste of their sophomore album 'Her Favorite Disguise', released via Magic Door Record Label.

The core duo, singer/guitarist Mike Potenza (The Anderson Council, Crash Harmony, BARD, Gramercy Arms) and bassist Scott Selig (Ambulance, Uncle Moon, Deni Bonet Band, Super Tuesday), met while enduring the desolate misery of corporate life in a Midtown Manhattan law firm. Unknown to each other, they both had a secret past as musicians in the '90s and '00s NYC indie scene, having played in various "almost-famous" post-punk bands and toured as opening acts for legends. Escaping corporate misery, they rededicated themselves to music, solidifying the lineup with drummer Paul Andrew (Fluffer, Phantom Tollbooth) and guitarist Peter Horvath (The Anderson Council).

"Victoria was inspired by the party scene of the late 80’s, where it seemed to me people were alternately depressed or manic a lot of the time and not in that happy middle. I thought it would be nice if we could all settle down a bit, slow life down a tick or two and enjoy the little things together. That was the impetus," says Michael Potenza.

"We resurrected it when we started working on 'Her Favorite Disguise' by reworking some of the more dated lyrics (when we wrote the song, for instance, it was a pre-cell phone time so the first line about “staring into your phone” and an “app for demonology” was added later). The song is a bit of a time capsule to a guitar-forward, jangly, power pop time, but I do think the essential message — that we all have inner demons that could use some mutual kindness to exorcise — carries forward.

'Her Favorite Disguise' is the long-awaited follow up to their eponymous debut record - an unapologetic nod to the rough-hewn insouciance of '80s pre-grunge alt-rock. This album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by renowned producer Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Crash Harmony) at Magic Door Recording Studio.

“I think this song captures our live sound more thoroughly than any other on the album. Other than a dash of organ at the end, and guest vocalist Olivia Selig adding some thickening to the harmonies in the choruses, there are basically no other enhancements to the song. I think the raw energy of our live set really comes across as a result. The video starts and ends with the band discussing the song and the take, giving the viewer a taste of our process in the studio. This song probably has the least amount of overdubs than any on the album, so the video captured nearly its entire recording,” says Scott Selig.

Earlier, the band shared 'Bitcoin Elegy', a guitar-driven single about the inevitable decline of meaningful personal relationships in the digital age. Joined by vocalist Olivia Selig, this song is not actually an elegy about the famed king of cryptos, the song references Bitcoin as a noted marker for the post-analog world, the elegy here being specifically about the loss of interpersonal community.

The coming album features several guests, including Mac Gollehon (David Bowie, Al Jarreau, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Hall and Oates) on trumpet, cellist Carolyn Jeselsohn, vocalist Reneé LoBue of Elk City, accordionist Carl Riehl (Michelle Shocked, Uncle Moon) and Ray Ketchem on percussion.

As of October 23, 'Victoria' is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. On November 28, the 'Her Favorite Disguise' album will be released digitally and also on vinyl. It can already be pre-ordered on Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Written by Mike Potenza and Peter Horvath
Mike Potenza – guitar, vocals
Peter Horvath - guitar, vocals
Scott Selig - bass, vocals, keyboards percussion
Paul Andrew - drums
Olivia Selig - vocals
Produced by Ray Ketchem, Scott Selig & The Melancholy Kings
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording Studio, Montclair, NJ
Additional recording by Scott Selig at The Old Stone House, Maplewood, NJ
Published by Hamilton Publishing (BMI) © 2025
© 2025 The Melancholy Kings
Released by Magic Door Record Label
Cover art & design by Ray Ketchem
Videos filmed & edited by Scott Selig
Band photos by Carlo Cipriani
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

New Jersey's The Melancholy Kings present 'Bitcoin Elegy', heralding first album in 6 years

September 30, 2025

New Jersey rockers The Melancholy Kings present 'Bitcoin Elegy', a guitar-driven single about the inevitable decline of meaningful personal relationships in the digital age. With gratuitous references to Yeats and King Canute, this song previews the first album from the Montclair-based outfit in six years. Not actually an elegy about the famed king of cryptos, the song references Bitcoin as a noted marker for the post-analog world, the elegy here being is specifically about the loss of interpersonal community.

With footage shot at Prototype 237, an art collective and performance space located in Paterson, NJ, the video is driven by the song's dynamic shifts, the uptempo and frenetic intro shifting to a more mellow, almost folk-rock progression in the second part of the verses. The time-shifting playing on the lyrical themes of disconnectedness and helplessness in the face of inevitable decline, the slow-motion segments convey the sense of band members trapped in a stasis as the world collapses around them.

Now based in New Jersey, The Melancholy Kings are transplants from NYC, who wear their love-hate relationship with the Garden State and its big city neighbor on their sleeve. Musically, they evoke a meeting of Paul Westerberg and Jeff Tweedy somewhere in the swamps of Jersey, blending the sounds of Wilco and The Replacements.

The core duo, singer/guitarist Mike Potenza (The Anderson Council, Crash Harmony, BARD, Gramercy Arms) and bassist Scott Selig (Ambulance, Uncle Moon, Deni Bonet Band, Super Tuesday), met while enduring the desolate misery of corporate life in a Midtown Manhattan law firm. Unknown to each other, they both had a secret past as musicians in the '90s and '00s NYC indie scene, having played in various "almost-famous" post-punk bands and toured as opening acts for legends. Escaping corporate misery, they rededicated themselves to music, solidifying the lineup with drummer Paul Andrew (Fluffer, Phantom Tollbooth) and guitarist Peter Horvath (The Anderson Council).

'Bitcoin Elegy' is the first offering from their second album 'Her Favorite Disguise', the long-awaited follow up to their eponymous debut album - an unapologetic nod to the rough-hewn insouciance of '80s pre-grunge alt-rock. Released via Magic Door Record Label, this album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by renowned producer Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Crash Harmony) at Magic Door Recording Studio.

"Bitcoin Elegy is a song about the lack of personal connectivity in the digital age. In a sense, it's meant to be nostalgic, but it's also about being resigned to fate and life going on despite what we think or do (the sun, the moon, the stars, they hardly care). Like King Canute's efforts to stop the tides flooding his camp, the song is meant to invoke the inevitability of "progress" ("we told the tides to stop their to and fro; we still got sucked out by the undertow")," says Mike Potenza.

"Musically, the song came together very quickly with the opening riff leading into a straightforward guitar-driven rocker and a bridge with spectral backing vocals supplied by special guest, Olivia Selig."

On 'Bitcoin Elegy', the band is joined by vocalist Olivia Selig. This new album also features the iconic Mac Gollehon (David Bowie, Al Jarreau, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Hall and Oates) on trumpet, cellist Carolyn Jeselsohn, vocalist Reneé LoBue of Elk City, accordionist Carl Riehl (Michelle Shocked, Uncle Moon) and Ray Ketchem on percussion.

Scott Selig shares, "When Mike sent us 'Bitcoin Elegy', played on acoustic guitar and sung into his phone, I was immediately hooked by the melody and chord progressions and the lyrics made me like it even more. It was a pretty seamless process for the full band to develop it into the electric guitar-driven rocker that it became, and we quickly integrated the song into our live set. It was fun refining it in the studio with Ray and rest of the band, bringing in acoustic guitars when the dynamic shifts mid-verse, and Mike added some nice lead guitar lines in the bridge to play against the vocal melody. Finally, the harmonies that Peter and Olivia sung really filled out the arrangement."

'Bitcoin Elegy' is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. On November 28, 'Her Favorite Disguise' will be released digitally and also on vinyl. It can already be pre-ordered on Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Mike Potenza – guitar, vocals
Peter Horvath - guitar, vocals
Scott Selig - bass
Paul Andrew - drums, percussion
Olivia Selig - vocals
Produced by Ray Ketchem, Scott Selig & The Melancholy Kings
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Recording Studio, Montclair, NJ
Additional recording by Scott Selig at The Old Stone House, Maplewood, NJ
Written by Mike Potenza
Published by Hamilton Publishing (BMI) © 2025
© 2025 The Melancholy Kings
Released by Magic Door Record Label
Single art & design by Ray Ketchem & Scott Selig. Photo by Sonya Selig
Video filmed & edited by Scott Selig
Filmed at Prototype 237 & Phenotype 237, Paterson NJ
Additional footage filmed at Mike’s pad
Band photos by Carlo Cipriani
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR