Watch Now: Willi Carlisle’s “When The Pills Wear Off”

Willi Carlisle’s “When The Pills Wear Off” music video is an impeccable complement to the gorgeous and devastating single from the folksinger’s recently released LP, Critterland. Shot on location in Hot Springs, Arkansas, by Western AF’s Mike Vanata, the video reflects the song which Carlisle dubs “An amalgam of queer stories that I’ve heard, lived, and seen.”

Being acutely aware of how heartbreaking a song he’s shared, Carlisle has also been using it to bring joy back into the world. Since the initial release of “When The Pills Wear Off,” Carlisle has been donating a portion of the proceeds from streams and purchases of “When the Pills Wear Off” to Hope in the Hills, a West Virginia-based charity focused on recovery and wellness in Appalachia.

“After losing friends to overdoses, after witnessing the stress that hidden lives and quiet desperation causes people, I decided I wanted to sing about addiction,” says Carlisle. “So, I’m partnering with Hope in the Hills to raise awareness and funding to help those in need. Too much of country music glorifies abuse, murder, and poverty in the name of shock and sales, and I want to fight the stereotypes. Let’s share music about our struggle and triumph! Let’s celebrate love and mourn the dead.”

“Willi is honest, with his music and his listeners,” says Vanata. “He doesn’t pull his punches or let you ignore the imperfect parts of life. We have always admired that about him. Sometimes that honesty shows up in a carefree ‘Rocks Don’t know’ sorta way and sometimes it’s the knife twist of losing love to big pharma. When he asked us about working on this video, we dropped everything to be there. The love Willi brings to this story is complicated and cathartic. It will always mean the world to work with Willi Carlisle.”

“When The Pills Wear Off” was initially released as a single ahead of Carlisle’s Darrell Scott-produced LP, Critterland, which Rolling Stone called “A beautiful folk document of American reckoning and redemption” and Stereogum dubbed “…penetrating, sharply observed, and unflinchingly specific.” 

Fans can watch the “When The Pills Wear Off” music video today at this link and stream or purchase Critterland right here. Carlisle just finished the first leg of his 2024 tour but will hit the road again in April with stops in Asheville, Nashville, and more before a string of dates in June supporting Tyler Childers. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at willicarlisle.com.