Army Of Love was founded in 1983 by former members of Jonny Kat, including Mark McCoy, Jeff Bloom, and Ivan Knight. The group opened for REM and played local venues like the Spirit Club, with manager Tony Creed producing demos in LA.
A self-titled EP was released in 1983, after which Tommy Andrews joined on guitar. They opened for the Kinks in 1985 and recorded more songs with Creed, and then relocated to L.A. to record with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter at Cherokee Studios. The group moved back to San Diego in 1987, after which they split.
Bassist Jeffrey Bloom later played with Sex & Free Beer, Stone Horse, and Butterflys & Zephyrs. Latterday Army of Love guitarists Peter Kenvin and Tommy Andrews, as well as drummer Randy Willert, all went on to play with Voices, which formed in 1987. Several members also backed solo Go-Go's: Mark McCoy (bass) and Tommy Andrews (guitar) toured with Belinda Carlisle's band in 1987, and Jeff Bloom played bass with Kathy Valentine's World's Cutest Killers in 1988.
The band is featured in the 2020 film, Mighty Oak, concerning a 10-year-old named Oak Scoggins whose musical talents inspire Army of Love, minus their singer-guitarist who died in a car accident ten years previous, to reunite and make new music, as the dead singer's sister and band manager begins to think Oak is the reincarnation of her brother. The soundtrack features Coldplay, The Animals, and A Great Big World, and stars include Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars), Raven-Symoné (That’s So Raven), and Alexa PenaVega (Spy Kids).