The Army, The Navy — INTERVIEW

There’s a certain magic that happens when harmony is more than just musical — when it’s rooted in friendship, history, and a shared language of feeling. The Army, The Navy is the result of just that: the long-running creative bond between childhood friends Sasha Goldberg and Maia Ciambriello. After growing up in California under the same singing coach, the pair reconnected in college, trading songs in New Orleans practice rooms and at DIY gigs before settling in Los Angeles.

With two EPs — Fruit For Flies and Sugar For Bugs — the duo has carved out a sound that’s both intimate and expansive: poetic confessions wrapped in tightly-woven melodies, grounded by the kind of chemistry that can’t be faked.

Ahead of their debut Australian tour, Thanks for Coming caught up with Sasha and Maia to talk beginnings, influences, and the community that helped shape their voice.

Awesome to hear that you will be touring Australia this September! What are you looking forward to the most about touring here? And what started the conversation of coming to Australia for shows?

We are sooooo excited to go to Australia and meet our Australian hunnies. Australia-Melbourne and Sydney specifically have been a strong audience for us since the beginning, so it feels good to be able to nourish our listeners over there. We don’t know what to expect but we are truly so excited to experience Australian culture and immerse ourselves in it. It’s been a dream of ours to go there for a long time, and it’s such a blessing that we get to go there to perform. We feel so lucky. 

What can AU Fans expect from these shows?

Everything The Army, The Navy! Harmonies and all that. Giggles. Maybe tears. Merch! Hugs. New music. A lot of fun. We will definitely head to the merch booth post show to meet as many of yall as possible. 

What has been the most memorable show or tour in the past few years?

The first tour we ever went on was supporting the incredible Matt Maltese. It was a pivotal tour for us and such a learning experience. We built our team on that tour, a team that we cherish so so much. The first show of that tour was in Austin, Texas. It was the biggest room we had ever played in. We messed up a million times. I sat on our notebook, lost my capo. It was a beautiful giddy disaster. I remember after that show falling to the ground with Sasha and our tour manager Maria and just laughing and screaming with joy. It was the beginning of everything for us and we look back on that tour with so much gratitude. Also going on our first headline tour was a trip! We couldn’t believe how many people came. Especially in the UK! Touring and singing and meeting yall is our favorite part of this whole thang. 

You’ve both studied music formally in New Orleans — how has that city’s rich musical heritage influenced your songwriting?
Being in New Orleans and studying music is one of the best things we’ve ever done for ourselves. The culture of New Orleans was so different from what we were used to being raised in California. The humidity, the southern hospitality, the music! We’d wake up in the morning to a second line out our window, which is essentially a walking brass band parade. Music literally engulfed the streets. Our college dive bar experience was full of jazz bands. It was so inspiring to be around so many incredible musicians. It was also so beautiful to see instrumentalists play music not for financial gain or fame but just because they loved it. It’s in their blood. Brought new meaning to music for us. 

Tell us about the music community in New Orleans, and who are some artists/bands that we should get across our ears?

Since we went to music school, a lot of our friends are incredibly talented musicians. Noa Jamir is an unbelievable talent. Zahria Sims is the best saxophonist in the game, she did the saxophone on our song Play the Music! Maddy Kirgo, Lyla George. Our tour manager Maria Rosa is a musician as well and a Louisiana native. Tank and the Bangas are a classic, literally the best show I’ve ever seen. The list goes on and on!

You’ve toured with acts like Matt Maltese and Paris Paloma — how has touring impacted your sense of musical community?

Touring changed everything for us. The most valuable part of being musicians for us is meeting the people who listen to our records. It’s so important for us to connect with our audience. It makes everything so tangible and real. We’ve had the opportunity to tour with such talented artists, like Matt Maltese, Paris Paloma, Dora Jar, and currently James Arthur. It’s always so inspiring for us. It’s heartwarming to meet so many artists who are just so kind and warm, and to be able to perform for their listeners is the highest honor. We’ve been lucky enough to create relationships with all the acts we’ve toured with, which has just made the experience so fulfilling. 

There’s a subtle theatricality in some of your performances — do you draw from film, literature, or visual art to influence your aesthetic or lyrics?

Honestly, we were both in theatre growing up. We were in a play of Annie together when we were five, fun fact. But we were both singers first. We went to the same voice coach named Amber Morris since we were young. We both have always loved being on stage. It feels very natural to us to be expressive while we’re performing. Lyrically, we’re heavily inspired by Adrienne Lenker, Dora Jar, Ryan Beatty to name a few. We love intentional lyricism and aim to be as authentic as possible in our lyrics. Lucy Black, who is also Sasha’s cousin, is our visual mastermind. She’s very left brained, abundantly creative and unique. She illustrates worlds for our music to live in. She is a true artist and we are so lucky to work alongside her. Her brain genuinely inspires us. She is an integral part of our visual atmosphere. 

You’re signed to New Gold Medal Records, the label founded by Marc E. Bassy — can you tell us what drew you to that partnership? How does being on an artist-run label influence the creative freedom or support you feel as emerging artists?

Marc is also Sasha’s cousin. It’s a family affair. Besides our parents, Marc was the first person to truly believe in us. He always built us up and told us we had potential, and also pushed us to work hard. He’s a very driven person as he is a musician himself, so he quickly became our mentor. The fact that we are on his label is such a gift to us. We have the artistic freedom to release the music we want to release when we want to release it. The only pressure we feel from the label is to just keep working hard, and it’s perfect for us. New Gold Medal nourishes us and encourages us to continue making the music we want to make. It is incredibly valuable. 

We enjoy giving back and supporting emerging artists, bands, or creatives from your local community. Are there any you'd recommend we check out from your local communities?

Yes! Our best friend, Maya Stone is such a beautiful songwriter and artist. Aggie Miller, who opened for us on our North American headline tour. Johanna Warren, she opened for us on our UK tour. Reggie Pearl, Maude Latour, Margot Texas, Mariah Houston, Babehoven, Margaux, Jacob Alon, Renny Conti, Kevin Atwater. Just to name a few ;)

I just heard ‘Dirty Laundry’ is this off a larger body of work to be released, if so what can you tell us about new music to be released?

We have an album in the works. We’re recording it in Georgia with our wonderful producer and friend Drew Vandenberg. We will also be recording in New York City with Mikey Freedom Hart. We’re over the moon and can’t wait to give it to yall !

Thanks for your time..