Alternative/Rock

Red Temple Pray Reflect on the Trials of Youth with Their “Chlorine” Music Video Premiere

Rock is often best served haunting, like on Red Temple Pray’s brand new single “Chlorine,” where the song’s eerie elements are accentuated on its simple yet effective music video.

Published

9 months ago

07/27/2023

Aaron Willschick

Red Temple Pray, photo by Nathan Hirschler

Article Views: 917

Rock is often best served haunting, like on Red Temple Pray’s brand new single “Chlorine.” Those eerie elements featured within the song are accentuated on its simple yet effective music video, which features just lead singer Josh Richter singing into the camera with a subtle allure in front of a dark background.

“Chlorine” features all the melancholic pop hooks and riff-rocking elements that the quartet is becoming known for, capturing all the weight and the mood of an important moment in the life of Richter that has helped shape him into the person he is.

Here to tell us more is Richter himself, who states:

“‘Chlorine’ is a true story about a childhood friend of my cousin. My cousin was having a pool party for her 13th birthday and all of her friends were there including a girl I had a crush on. I was 10 or 11 at the time and I remember that being a real turning point in my youth because I realized I would rather be around that girl than to go play video games or like, play with toys or something. I remember emotionally not understanding the ‘coming of age’ moment and how much anxiety leaving the comfort of being a little kid brought me.

“Later in life, she ended up overdosing and passing away, so I wrote a song about those two specific moments. They both, in a way, represent the death of my childhood.”

One of the best elements of the grunge era was the intensity and introspectiveness of legends like Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell, and that kind of emotional heaviness is something Red Temple Pray is really able to harness.

Richter is complemented within the ensemble by his brother and guitarist Nicky, bassist John Huffman, and drummer Jordan Sloan. Their music explores pain, loss, love, and struggle but is intended in a cathartic sense, meant to be relatable and even uplifting. Their sheer emotional power will touch you and leave you wanting more, a quality and characteristic that many artists aren’t able to rein in quite like Red Temple Pray.