The Army, The Navy
Overview
The Army, The Navy are a duo originating from California. In 2022, members Maia and Sasha released their first official single, marking the start of their professional careers. The duo have moved around, from the Bay Area to New Orleans and L.A. With them never having backing from a major label, this has brought issues with carving out an identity. Despite these obstacles, the last year has been their breakout. Primarily operating within the Indie Folk realm, this popularity is not an easy feat. Their success makes them one of the more popular artists featured on the site.
Some of their recent popularity stems from consistent TikTok engagement, a trend we see growing among smaller Indie artists. Given the heavy algorithm TikTok uses, it makes it possible for artists who don’t have mainstream appeal to still find their audience. Their most popular track, ‘Vienna (In Memoriam)’, benefited significantly from this. Now at over 40 million streams, this song is a standout release for the duo. Capitalising on this popularity, they will be releasing their debut album on June 12th 2026. To prepare for this, they have released three new singles in 2026.
Primary genres
Folk, Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Rock,
Their debut EP
‘Fruit For Flies’ was released on March 8th 2024, and was the first official body of work that was given to us by the duo. The EP holds a strong identity from start to finish, rarely venturing out of its lane. A Folk-centric core dipping into Indie Rock gives an edge to a softer sound. 7 tracks spanning 22 minutes and 18 seconds is a larger project than what is often released by smaller artists. To me, this shows they aren’t afraid to put their work on display. The intro track ‘Play The Music’ takes a Jazzy approach; a theme they have openly embraced. That influence is saved for certain moments in their discography rather than being a core element.
‘Gentle Hellraiser’ and ‘BBIDGI’ follow the intro track, and are two of my personal favourites. ‘Gentle Hellraiser’ keeps the same harmonised vocals and acoustic guitar as the intro, but as the song progresses, we get the first taste of Rock from them. After the initial smooth layout, the track implements orchestral support, kick drums, and a cut-out right before the final drop, tying the track together. This crescendo was necessary, providing an edge to the song that would have been missed otherwise. ‘BBIDGI’ is a warm song with light chord progressions and the vocals to run alongside it. Unlike ‘Gentle Hellraiser’, this song doesn’t need that big closing moment because they bring a variety of deliveries to keep the song engaging throughout. However, my introduction to them was ‘Alexandra’, a track initially released as a single the year prior. I think this song truly encompasses what they are. Harmonies prevalent in the mix, unique vocal runs and a consistent acoustic melody. Open-ended production designed to let the song breathe, rather than strangle the space out of it. This song is a great starting point to get a feel for what they really sound like.
Their second EP
‘Sugar For Bugs’ is their second EP, released 9 months after their debut. Keeping consistent with their aesthetic themes, the artwork for this project shares many similarities with ‘Fruit For Flies’. Throughout their work, the chemistry between the duo is evident, and it’s no different here. Their voices almost blend into one, the equal lifting on vocal delivery emphasising the duo’s dynamic. I do prefer their debut EP, but this project shows promising signs for them to diversify their future catalogue.
The second single from the album ‘40%’ is one of the few tracks that isn’t as acoustic-oriented. Their vocals still take priority in the layering, but it’s supported by a messy electric guitar. The combination of their unorthodox delivery with the Rock base has the track on edge in the second half. They play with the idea of a drop and keep it going until they finally let the song progress. Little details like this stick out in the listener’s memory; it provides a reason to look back at a song and feel like it stands out.
Further in the track list, we have ‘Rocket’. This song is a highlight for completely different reasons. Both members have vocals tracks that aren’t always synchronised, and across the song, it creates harmonies that sound much more expansive than just two people. They are amazing at making more out of less. With just a simple acoustic beat and two voices, they create a song that feels like so much more.
Live sessions
Given the nature of their production, their music translates very well to acoustic live sessions. Below are two performances from a set of uploads on their YouTube page.
New releases covered on our page
The duo have released three new songs in 2026, gearing up for their debut album. We will cover our favourite new releases on our new releases page with the links below.
A collection of our favourites
