We may be firmly into the fall, but Rose Starring‘s mind is still on the summer that wasn’t.

The Nashville-based pop songstress — who hails from Marco Island, FL — releases “Sad Girl Summer” at the end of September. Starring tells us that the new single is “about the woes of quarantine and COVID,” and the realities of sitting idly by while the long summer days passed by, one by one.

Also embedded within the dark, cinematic glow of this soundscape is a battle of perception versus reality. While Starring acknowledges the pandemic-induced summertime sadness she experienced, she also comments on society’s role in compelling us to smile through the uncertainty of the times, and wrap the wars raging inside of us in a decorative, hashtag-adorned bow — all for the sake of keeping up appearances.

One thing is for sure: this one has depth! Relive your own “Sad Girl Summer” below!