The Pretty Reckless Go Full POV on the Edge in “When I Wake Up”
There’s a point in every night out where control slips through your fingers, and The Pretty Reckless have made a video that lives exactly in that space. “When I Wake Up” doesn’t just show a wild night—it makes you feel like you’re stumbling through it, first-person, disoriented, and just a little too awake.
Directed by Taylor Momsen with Chris Acosta, the video throws you into the blur: a POV spiral through a bender that’s equal parts thrill and reckoning. Friends appear like ghosts of better judgment—Jessica Szohr and Connor Paolo pop up for a moment, a wink to a past life, while Pat Smear and Ilan Rubin drop in like the heavy pulse of rock’s realness. The night moves fast, chaotic, and the camera doesn’t hold still—it refuses.
Momsen is candid about the origins. “I wanted the video to reflect where the song came from—a time in my life when I was out of control, not caring whether I lived or died,” she says. No filters, no grading, no compromise. What you see is what she lived: chasing highs, courting self-destruction, and seeing the emptiness that comes after. The imperfection is the point.
“When I Wake Up” is the second single off DEAR GOD, their fifth studio album dropping June 26. The record already has a run of hits behind it—“For I Am Death” topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart last November, their fourth consecutive No. 1. The new track is already the most added at rock radio this week, and the energy here isn’t just musical—it’s cinematic, almost tactile.
The band also just announced their DEAR GOD headline tour starting this July. If the video is any indication, the live show will carry that same immediacy—the raw, unfiltered chaos you can feel in your chest, not just hear in your ears.
With “When I Wake Up”, The Pretty Reckless aren’t asking for your attention—they’re dragging you along for the ride, full-speed, and daring you to stay awake through the crash.
