Anika Pyle, formerly of Chumped and more recently of Katie Ellen and Sheena, Anika, And Augusta, has shared a new solo track called “S A D,” named after Seasonal Affective Disorder and it’s about the effect that sunlight or the lack thereof can have on your mood.

It’s a downcast acoustic strummer on which Pyle sings: “The sun goes down so early now/ I wake before it rises/ Sleep when it goes down/ I was dreaming in the city now/ I’m crying in this little town.” Half the sales from the song today (12/4, Bandcamp Friday) will be donated to Prevention Point Philadelphia.

Listen below.

Here’s Pyle’s statement about the song:

This song is about Seasonal Affective Disorder and the darkness – literal and figurative – that descends as the light slowly gets stolen by Daylight Savings Time.

The photograph was taken by my partner Roger Harvey on the side of the road in Marfa, TX in mid-March. At the dawn of the pandemic, we became stranded after a string of shows from LA to Austin were cancelled. Thankfully we were taken in by some friends in Los Angeles (thanks Jeff and Christine!) and had a final meal around the table with friends (hi Chris and Cassie!) for the foreseeable future.

As we made our way across the country, we stopped in Marfa for the night. The air was viscous, heavy with an indiscernible paranoia. We witnessed the owner of a coffee shop 86 two middle-aged white women for spreading rumors about a local infection. We watched everyone around us, confused and weary keep their distance. The line at the Dairy Queen was 10 cars long, the inside of the restaurant empty, chairs overturned, doors locked, the only sign of life – the emergency light jittering eerily on and off and on again, a sign of times to come.

The past nine months have carried an unfathomable density. The weight of air has only increased with the death, the terror, and the fear. The winter ahead what will surely be a season like no other on record. I’m bracing myself by counting my blessings and holding steadfastly to the hope of a better moment. When things get dark, as is inevitable, remember to reach out to people and find the light.

“S A D” is out now.