The Army, The Navy, The Bond
Sasha Goldberg & Maia Ciambriello photographed by Verde Madera; Additional photography by Kiki London; Creative Direction by Kiki London & Verde Madera; Styling by Kiki London; Story by Ash Newton; Makeup by Crystal Adrias; Hair by Joseph Grajeda; Gaffer- Eojin Seo; PA- Admin Earth
According to the The Army, The Navy’s singers Maia Ciambriello and Sasha Goldberg, their upcoming record Fake Brave Life is their favorite music they’ve ever made.
In the two years since their debut EP, Fruit for Flies, the folk-pop duo continues to hone their unique approach to acoustic, lyrical music. Their delicate sound opens like a flower on the lead single “Walls”, released on March 6.
Lyrically, “Walls” chronicles a failing relationship, where both parties feel a shared, miasmic lack: “It's a conversation that jumps back and forth between both people knowing that this is not a good relationship, that's not fulfilling either person,” said Goldberg. “On the first chorus, we’re saying ‘I think I deserve more than that,’ and on the second chorus we’re saying ‘I think you deserve more than that.’”
Forming their band after sharing a singing teacher as teenagers, The Army, The Navy’s decade-long friendship has formed a creative bond that shines through their delicate harmonies. “We created the band when we lived in New Orleans,” said Ciambriello, referring to their shared time at Loyola University. Having graduated in 2022, they continue to live and work together in Los Angeles, powering their bond through “a sisterly relationship.”
“Of course, we bicker. We have everything that a normal, familiar relationship has.” - Ciambriello
“People always ask if we get annoyed at each other,” Ciambriello said. “Of course, we bicker. We have everything that a normal, familiar relationship has. Having great communication with each other, open and honest, and feeling comfortable with each other, is the most important thing.”
Two songs from Fake Brave Life originate from a songwriting workshop they attended at Loyola, making the record their newest yet oldest material they’ve released. “We took [the class] all four years,” said Ciambriello. “It was basically write a song every week, bring it in.” “We loved it so much,” added Goldberg.
The workshop featured creative prompts, including writing songs from completely unique, invented perspectives. Ciambriello and Goldberg artfully employ narrative in their work, most notably in the song “Vienna” from Fruit for Flies, which tells the story of a mouse that pestered them in their shared New Orleans apartment and its untimely death at the claws of their cat. In October 2023, months ahead of the release of Fruit for Flies, the duo uploaded a TikTok performing “Vienna”, which garnered 1.2 million likes. The track now boasts over 36 million streams on Spotify. Ciambriello and Goldberg say it’s been a “slow climb,” one that they’re both grateful for but wary of repeating. “I want all the songs to have some sort of social media success, but it doesn’t determine how good the song is,” said Ciambriello.
“We're not gonna post all about our lives, and we're not gonna talk to the camera that much, but I think the way of sharing our music that makes us feel comfortable is by singing it.”
In cutting a new record, they’ve kept the same approach to promotion online: “It’s the same as it’s always been,” said Goldberg. “We're not gonna post all about our lives, and we're not gonna talk to the camera that much, but I think the way [of sharing our music]– that makes us feel comfortable– is by singing it.”
Though their presentation hasn’t changed, the new project has presented a number of forward steps for The Army, The Navy. “It was our first time working with hired musicians and recording everything live,” said Goldberg. “Usually, we work with one producer who is a multi-instrumentalist, but this time we decided to have a guitar player, a keys player come in – everybody who has that kind of expertise [could] bring that to the table. That was really exciting and very fruitful and fulfilling for us.”
Working collaboratively with instrumentalists meant a surrender of creative control, as individual performers would write their own accompaniments to Ciambriello and Goldberg’s melodies, but they were confident that their producer, Drew Vandenberg, could “act as a translator between the musicians and us,” said Goldberg. “We could find ground that works for everybody and [make] something we all love.” Vandenberg’s expertise is well-earned, having worked with artists such as Faye Webster, SPELLLING, and Of Montreal.
“I think you build a community around yourself of people who share the same values as you, and you have the same morals as them” - Goldberg
As a band, The Army, The Navy are more fulfilled than ever, but they affirmed that they’ll continue to move forward. “I’m done believing that you always have to cater to other people,” said Ciambriello. “I think there’s a beautiful balance that you can have.”
“I think you build a community around yourself of people who share the same values as you, and you have the same morals as them,” Goldberg echoed. “That’s a really important thing that we are always striving for as we grow older: finding comfort in situations with people that we love.”
