JFH News: HolyName Bring Rage and Refuge to Those Recovering from Religious Trauma with Collaborative "Stained Glass"

HolyName Bring Rage and Refuge to Those Recovering from Religious Trauma with Collaborative "Stained Glass"

NEWS SOURCE: Transparent Media
June 28, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Aggressively reverent band HolyName is back with “Stained Glass,” a song giving voice to anyone recovering from religious trauma and wounds inflicted by the church. The song is available on all major platforms now at https://bfan.link/stained-glass-2.

HolyName frontman Tommy Green cowrote the song with Heal The Hurt’s Trevor Tyson, a longtime friend and collaborator. Both singers and songwriters have experienced their own fair share of church hurt — and their own journeys into healing.

“My deconstruction took me deeper into religion. A lot of other peoples’ deconstruction goes further away,” Tommy Green reflects. “I think people can get this song wherever they are. It’s saying, ‘I was sincere, and I was used. I was a believer, and now I don’t know what to do with it. But I’m finding through this new space in my life that I could love again.’”

Some of those statements are reflective of co-writer Trevor Tyson’s experience.

“It was based on my journey of feeling used and abused in this megachurch mentality. It’s like a corporate nightmare being pitched as God’s house,” Trevor offers, remembering the song’s genesis. “I justified not being involved in a local church community because I was working in Christian music world. I got so wrung through the wringer that I didn’t even know if I wanted to be a Christian anymore.”

Ultimately, a visit to a friend’s small Orthodox congregation catalyzed the start of Trevor’s healing. The space was filled with icons and incense, and dreams of that holy ground followed the singer afterward. He recalls, “It felt like a holy moment or a sacred space. I was able to break through this hurt that I felt that I had carried for close to a decade with the church because I felt like I was a black sheep. The stained glass that I once felt trapped by was shattered under my feet. It felt like a glimpse of heaven on earth.”

The song itself has become that sacred ground for fellow black sheep, wherever their own path out of abusive church circles has led them. Led by drums from Matthew Weir, bass and a new melodic depth in Tommy Green’s vocals, “Stained Glass” is meditative and healing. HolyName’s Joe Holt produced the track, and Ryan Leitru (For Today) mixed and mastered it. With the usual screams and flurry of riffs dialed back, the song’s core themes take center stage.

“I think it’s one of those universal themes: betrayal. Loving something and being brokenhearted. Letting go. Then finding solace in a place you never expected to after letting go,” Tommy concludes.

As a collaboration between HolyName and Heal the Hurt, “Stained Glass” is the latest impressive entry on a full calendar for both bands. “Stained Glass” follows hard on the heels of Heal the Hurt’s debut singles “Withering” and “Where Our Hearts Divide.” HolyName is preparing to play a benefit for Tommy Green’s anti-trafficking charity Run Against Traffic, with tickets for the August 2 show in Pomona on sale now.

HolyName was formed following the conclusion of Tommy Green’s monolithic metalcore band Sleeping Giant. They topped the Billboard Christian Albums chart with their self-titled debut album reaching #1, which was released through Facedown Records in 2023. You can follow the band on Facebook and Instagram.

###

For more info on HolyName, visit the JFH Artists Database.