Folk-pop duo The Army, The Navy stand out from the rest because ultimately, two lead singers are better than one. And in the end, “people just love harmonies”.
Though that oversimplifies things a little, it truly is band members Sasha Goldberg and Maia Ciambriello’s handle over harmony that’s won over the hearts of many. Atop a bed of autumnal acoustic guitar, the Los Angeles-based pair inflect intimate lyrics with spicy harmonies as they convey complex emotions.
Interestingly, the band is a big hit in Australia, so it only makes sense the band’s second-ever international venture has landed them down under. With shows at Sydney’s Vanguard and Melbourne’s Brunswick Ballroom already completely sold out, it’s clear they made the right decision to bring the music our way.
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Though The Army, The Navy only formed in 2022, Goldberg and Ciambriello’s musical friendship can be traced to their roots in a small town outside of San Francisco where they shared the same singing teacher.
Fate would have Goldberg’s and Ciambriello’s first choice college applications rejected, which saw them both rooming together while studying music at Loyola University. They’ve lived together for roughly eight years since then. As the band’s Spotify bio puts it, the pair are a “consonance between childhood friends” – no matter how many scale degrees separate them, their souls always harmonise in a way that resonates.
“I think the catalyst of everything for us was just living together in a really small room,” Goldberg says. “It kind of just morphed into a thing where everybody started to see us as a unit.”
“People started seeing us as a duo before we even thought of ourselves that way,” Ciambriello adds.
They’ve both permeated each other’s lives to the point where lyrics often reference shared experiences, forming a collective identity of sorts that underpins the band’s ethos. From walks underneath the same grove of trees, to the specific smell of a bridge in their hometown, or the unusually prolific persimmons at a Thanksgiving, The Army, The Navy’s two EPs are saturated with a shared sense of intimacy.
“If we’re writing from Maia’s perspective, I can also pull from it. It can be very collaborative,” Goldberg says.
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Sonically, The Army, The Navy’s assortment of acoustic guitar, dueting vocals and occasional subtle strings perfectly complement the lyrical intimacy. The gently fingerpicked guitars that open on the song Persimmon feel like a cosy autumn evening, and Ciambriello and Goldberg’s consonant vocals add to the sense of proximity and closeness. But, we quickly realise the song’s underlying message isn’t as sweet.
The dissonance of a minor second in the pair’s harmony is masterfully interwoven on key lyrics such as “now the lake’s frozen over”, hinting at a growing distance between the protagonist and their lover. The following lyrics, “I’ve got more room to glide”, sees the harmony resolve again, as the protagonist looks for the light in this unrequited relationship.
“We definitely put a lot of care and attention into the lyrics that we write and sing,” Goldberg says. Having both studied music, their output is full of interesting moments, and it helps widen the band’s appeal.
“I was so happy to see not just young people, but also jazz dads and people that you just wouldn’t expect at the shows,” Goldberg says. They describe their unannounced upcoming album as being more “cerebral” and experimental with its songwriting, which is sure to please other artists out there.
“We would love to be an artist’s favourite artist as well. I think that’s really important to us, because we love music and we love artists. We’re so tapped into the culture and so that love from other artists feels so amazing too,” Goldberg says.
Joining that cohort of artist fans was the guitarist of hardcore band Knocked Loose. Nicko Calderon named The Army, The Navy’s Fruit for Flies EP as one of his favourite releases of 2024.
“Nicko is incredible, he’s always repping our shit and supporting us. It’s really sweet,” Goldberg says. “I remember when he posted about us and I was like, ‘No way that’s so random,’” Ciambriello says.
The Army, The Navy are playing Brunswick Ballroom on 7 September. Get tickets here.
