With New Girl, The Melancholy Kings continue to refine a sound that sits between intimacy and cinematic imagination, where memory, fiction, and emotion blur into a single narrative space. Drawing on influences from classic film noir, ’80s indie textures, and the band’s deep roots in the New York and New Jersey music scenes, the project explores the fragile boundary between the “real” and the “reel,” transforming personal reflection into atmospheric storytelling. Built on collaboration, subtle experimentation, and a strong sense of mood, Her Favorite Disguise expands this vision further, blending acoustic warmth with layered production and guest contributions that enrich its emotional depth.

By Sandra Pinto

In this conversation, Mike Potenza and Scott Selig reflect on the inspirations behind the record, the role of cinema in their songwriting, and the instinctive process that shapes The Melancholy Kings’ evolving identity.

New Girl is described as a tribute to a “film noir ingenue.” How did the idea of writing a song about someone who exists only in cinematic imagination come about?
Mike Potenza (lead vocals, guitars, songwriter): I wrote this one quite a while ago; at the time, I was getting into classic movies, especially film noir, and I was struck by how beautiful they are to watch. The song kind of came organically together as a result of watching those old movies. Fast forwarding a bit, the themes in the song fit well with other themes– the blurring distinction between what is virtual and what is real in
particular – that we touch on in the album.

The track has an acoustic, cinematic approach, moving away from traditional indie rock tropes. How would you define the sound you aimed to create in this song?
Mike: The sound really came together in the studio and Ray [Ketchem, co-producer & engineer] played a large part in that; I always wanted it to sound dream-like and intimate. Scott’s upright bass part in the middle, and Pete [Horvath]’s feedback/atmospheric guitar part, capture the dream-like component; the rest of the instrumentation is acoustic and captures the intimacy we were looking for. A lot of people have said it reminds them of Pink Floyd (which is fine with me; I’m also in The Anderson Council after all!). Scott Selig (bassist, co-producer, video director): On this song we tried to balance the sonic atmospherics with the intimacy of the acoustic guitar and gentle vocals that
underpin the song. There are a large number of harmonic layers in the bridge of the song, for example, that were deftly mixed by Ray to create a pad of subtle depth that contributes to the mood we were after.

The lyrics explore the line between what is “real” and what is “reel.” Why was this contrast important for the song’s narrative?
Mike: I think it’s part and parcel of the increasingly blurred line between the virtual and real worlds that kind of obsesses me. We have a song on our first album that Scott and I wrote called Electrical Mystical Girl that goes in the same territory. As we see technology becoming smarter and smarter, I think there’s an increasingly big no-man’s land where it’s unclear whether tangible reality really matters.

Scott Selig’s video manipulates footage to create a slow-motion noir abstraction. How did the collaboration between the band and the director unfold?
Scott: Since I was a film major in college, I’m the self-appointed point person when it comes to our band videos. The video for this song developed out of experiments I was doing with advanced editing and effects software, manipulating layers of found footage to create various shape-shifting abstractions. I also wanted to make a video for New Girl since we’ve learned that it is a stand-out track on the LP to a lot of people, but without turning it into a big production. It turned out that the imagery emanating from my experiments fit the song really well, so I created and sequenced the layers with the rhythms and dynamics of the song.

This is your second album and a nod to the pre-grunge ‘80s era. Which elements of that period did you want to recreate or reinterpret?
Mike: I try not to think too hard about where songs fit in in terms of genre. I think we all have distinct, but overlapping, influences that point us generally in the same direction when putting together a song. Given what we grew up listening to, I think that direction is toward 80’s indie, but in terms of willing it to be so, I don’t think we really make it intentional.
Scott: I agree that we don’t overthink this. We write and arrange songs out of instinct. If the results can be classified or pigeonholed by others into a particular genre, or compared to other bands or time periods, so be it. But that’s never a conscious aim on our part.

The album reflects life in New York City and its surrounding areas. How much does the city influence your creative process and the stories in your songs?
Mike: I’ve lived in Jersey pretty much my whole life; it’s hard not to be somewhat sucked into NYC culturally and mentally. The songs kind of draw from that tension you feel living on the outer edges of a magnet like NY.
Scott: Unlike Mike, I grew up in different suburbs throughout the American South and Midwest. When I first moved into New York City after college, I felt at home for the first time in my life – almost liberated in a way. Although I’m not a New Yorker by birth, I feel like I am by temperament. Even though I now live in the suburbs of Jersey with my family for various logical reasons, in my heart I’m still a city boy and I am constantly invigorated by its creative energy.

You collaborated with guest musicians, including Reneé LoBue, Olivia Selig, and Carl Riehl. How did these collaborations contribute to the tone and richness of the album?
Mike: We’re fortunate to be friends with a lot of great musicians who are generous with their time and talents. On this particular track, Carolyn Jesselsohn added a kind of intimacy, delicacy and sadness to the overall track with the cello part. At the end of the day, it is kind of a sad song, as the protagonist is unrequited almost doubly so, as the film noir heroine not only isn’t real, but winds up having a short career and the fantasy world collapses.

The album was produced by Ray Ketchem. How did his experience with bands like Guided by Voices and Luna shape the final sound?
Mike: Not sure I can answer for Ray, but I can say I love working with him. Ray is adept at getting to right place both musically and sonically, so it’s a real blessing. Scott: Ray is a delight to work with. He knows our references and what we’re trying to achieve, and his expertise and guidance helps us get there. At the same time, his discerning ears and creative input keep us honest and reign us in when needed.

Mike and Scott have a long history in the NYC indie scene of the ’90s and 2000s. How does that previous experience influence the music you make today?
Mike: So much has changed, but I don’t think we’ve really changed much in the way we play or write. Maybe that’s good, maybe not . . .
Scott: I think my music, and my approaches to music, represent the sum total of my influences, not only from that era but from what came before and has come since then. I like to think I’m constantly evolving, even if it’s only in my mind.

The band’s sound blends vulnerability with expansive atmospheres. How do you balance intimacy with sonic ambition?
Mike: I think we try to approach each song individually. Some songs are pretty straight-up guitar forward power pop; others get a little more atmospheric. Depends on the song. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to find the right mood.
Scott: While I love to experiment in the studio with sounds and textures as much as time and money can allow, at the end of the day the sounds have to serve the song. We generally aren’t a band that first develops a sonic palette or groove and then builds a song around it; usually the song comes first and then we work together to find the arrangement that sounds best to our ears.

Each member brings experience from different projects (Gramercy Arms, Uncle Moon, The Anderson Council). How do these experiences merge into The Melancholy Kings’ identity?
Mike: Well, we all kind of bring a little bit of different experiences to the table. Those differences coincide with a pretty big common area of taste and experience, so I think it allows us to mix things up a bit, have everyone contribute, but find a common path pretty quickly.
Scott: The Melancholy Kings is the area of convergence in the giant Venn diagram of all the members’ influences and experiences. We each add a little something different to the sonic stew, which we try to make as tasty as possible – at least to ourselves; if others desire to feast as well, all the better.

What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from New Girl and the album Her Favorite Disguise?
Mike: At the end of the day, I’d like people to say, “Hey, cool song; I’d like to hear that again.”
Scott: I’d like a manic pixie dream girl to play it to some Jersey guy, telling him that this song will “change his life.” But seriously, what Mike said.

The themes of relationships and cinematic nostalgia seem recurring. Do you feel the band has a “cinematic” approach to musical storytelling?
Mike: Scott’s got the film background so maybe. I do like movies, and especially back in the day, I think movies and the theater culture were a bigger part of life.
Scott: Maybe subconsciously. After music, cinema is my other artistic obsession. When I listen to music I imagine cinematic imagery, and I think that all pieces of music, including instrumentals, tell some kind of story. Even when I develop a bass part, no matter how simple or complex, I ask myself “what story do I want to tell with this part?”

After this release, what are the next steps or collaborations you’re planning to further expand the band’s sound?
Mike: We’ve got a good chunk of the next album recorded and have a few more songs to finish up. We’re planning on continuing to have guest musicians, which I think makes the songs more interesting sonically and musically.
Scott: I think that we keep coming up with more interesting songs and arrangements, and I can’t wait to finish recording our current batch and unleash it to the world!