IN REVIEW: Fiona Apple - "Fetch the Bolt Cutters"

Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented album.

For fans of Fiona Apple, the wait for her fifth record was excruciating enough at nearly eight years, but it was supposed to be even longer; while ramping up to the release of Fetch the Bolt Cutters, there was talk about her label wanting to wait until the fall to bring it out. However, with the world in uncertainty thanks to a global pandemic, the decision was made to accelerate the process, which is a godsend; this album dropping during a time when most artists are pushing plans back allows for us to give it the full attention it deserves.

The timing of its release certainly isn't the only thing unconventional about Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Top to bottom, there's precious little concession to be heard on this record; recorded at her home in California, these songs eschew any accessible inclinations in favour of raw emotion. Throughout, Apple croons, growls, scats, raps and broadly uses her voice as an added instrument alongside her piano, drums, and whatever else is lying around; that last statement isn't a snide remark, either, as the many percussive flourishes are provided by a host of unconventional sources. The house itself and everything in its rooms (including her dogs) are here in service of the songs, and the resulting music is unlike anything I've ever heard.

As for her lyrics, which for me are the main reason Fetch the Bolt Cutters excels in the way that it does, there's a lot to process here. To describe the themes of the record in broad terms, after a handful of listens I'd call these songs cathartic, funny, heartbreaking and defiant, in addition to all manner of adjectives and often varying wildly within the songs. This is the unburdening of a damaged woman's soul, a release of decades' worth of anger, shame, regret and depression, but more importantly it offers assurances that it's possible to survive and become better. For an album with such heavy subject matter, there's a joyful release weaving through these songs that you can feel, such as on the exhaling that follows tension as it brings the title track to its conclusion.

As a man, I don't feel qualified to address Fetch the Bolt Cutters properly; so much of the album is inspired by terrible men. Exes and former associates are destroyed in song here, committers of despicable physical and psychological acts receiving their karma. By comparison, I can only imagine how much more deeply these songs will resonate with other victims, who Apple reaches a hand of support to most notably on the stunning mid-album highlight Newspaper. She chooses to deal with her abuse not by hiding from it, but by chronicling it, sometimes in chillingly frank fashion. On these moments of peak vulnerability and vitriol, it's easy for me to feel ashamed of my gender, and men should be inspired by Fiona Apple's bravery to do better.

I could go into more detail about the music, although I feel the best way to convey what I want readers to take away from this review is to simply say Fetch the Bolt Cutters needs to be listened to, paid attention to, discussed and learned from. This is more than just a really good record, it's a vital statement; even calling it Fiona Apple's masterpiece undersells its importance. It's a masterpiece on its own terms, an uncomfortably personal journey through dark emotions and, ultimately, redemption; and, in unprecedented times like this, its message of hard won hope is essential.

April 17, 2020 • Epic
Highlights Fetch the Bolt Cutters • Newspaper • Heavy Balloon