The Army, The Navy is Ready “2 Collide” with the Unknown
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The Army, The Navy’s debut album, Fake Brave Life, arrives on June 12th, and the anticipation is exhilarating.
Over the past three months, the indie-folk duo released three singles, “Walls,” “Pretty, Pink and Soft,” and “2 Collide.” Each single grapples with change, with needing to step away from the comfortable known into frightening uncertainty, for the greater good. Their first two releases established the stakes: a person in an imbalanced relationship that needs to end, and their struggle to let go.
“2 Collide” shows the triumphant closing of that destructive loop, where the speaker has reflected and found themselves changed, finally in a place to stop the cycle. This time I know for sure that I’m no good for you. The track’s rousing, confident drums with its rumbling bass, crashing cymbals, and swelling snares, emphasize a strong sense of empowerment and relief–the release of tension as you close a difficult chapter, and find out just how strong you have become.
Maia and Sasha’s vocals are beautiful, as always, with their seamless harmonies and excellent control over dynamics. They are soft when the speaker struggles not to slip back into the cycle: I know that I ask for too much– and ramp up the intensity and vocal power as the speaker navigates and discovers their newfound strength: I’m not gonna drop to my knees and give you what you want / Hell no.
The track features everything we love about The Army, The Navy: Maia and Sasha’s seamless harmonies, breath-taking lyricism, and astounding vulnerability. However, it also reflects a change in The Army, The Navy. “2 Collide” introduces a period of healing and change for the artists, notably through its lyricism. Regarding the chorus, TATN noted on an Instagram post that they “aren’t usually that frank,” with their past songs utilizing more symbolic language to articulate feelings, such as “Persimmon,” where persimmons are a metaphor for taking a relationship slow.
“2 Collide” is outright and declarative, a step outside of The Army, The Navy’s typical sound. Even its accompanying visuals convey this change, depicting Maia and Sasha on a bed, displaced by a forklift into nature. Besides mirroring the track’s message of change and evolution, it also speaks to the duo themselves. TATN notably films social media content on a bed, singing beside each other with a guitar. The track’s imagery points toward a deviation from that known format– taking the band out of the bedroom and placing them outside, facing a new, beautiful unknown.
“2 Collide” is a composition that expertly guides listeners through the journey and contemplations of a person facing the end of a relationship. It’s powerful, emotional, and exciting–perfectly setting up the June 12th release of Fake Brave Life.
The Army, The Navy is back with everything we know and love about them, and promises a new, vulnerable, reflective chapter of the band.
Look at who I’ve turned into / now I’m just a sliver of someone you once knew
