The Melancholy Kings’ debut album both celebrates and cringes at the rich tapestry of life’s follies in the Land of Springsteen and Honey. Produced by bassist Scott Selig, Ray Ketchem (Elk City) and singer/guitarist Mike Potenza, recorded and mixed by Ketchem at Magic Door in Montclair, NJ, and featuring guest artists Jonathan Kampner (drums), Reneé LoBue (vocals and cover art, Elk City), Dave Derby (vocals, Dambuilders, Gramercy Arms), Peter Hess (saxophone) and Richard Burkhardt (cello), as well as debut vocal performances from Olivia Selig and Jemma Potenza, the Melancholy Kings’ eponymous first album rocks with a quiet intensity recalling the rough-hewn insouciance of 80s, pre-grunge alt-rock.
Their nod to Spector-infused guitar pop in "Come Back Baby", their driving commentary on finding love in the age of modern technology in "Electrical Mystical Girl" and their emphatic, anthemic shouts in "Never Let Go of Love" showcase the variety of guitar-driven stylings employed by the band. From the scorched landscape of "Eighth Avenue", which serves as the album’s coda, to "Lovesong b", a paean to the desperation that grips divorceé bars around closing time, to the breezy, put-the-top-down melodic musings of "Memory’s Lips", The Melancholy Kings wear their love-hate relationship with the Garden State and its big city neighbor on their collective sleeve.
