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The last time I wrote about Fiona Apple, I went all the way back to the beginning, Tidal, her debut album. That record feels like the opening of a door.
Fetch the Bolt Cutters feels like the closing.
Released nearly 30 years after Tidal, Fiona Apple’s most recent album doesn’t try to be polished, palatable, or pretty in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s raw, rhythmic, confrontational, and deeply intentional. Pitchfork famously gave it a 10/10, calling it the best album of the decade when it dropped in 2020, and while ratings will always be subjective, the impact of this album is undeniable.
Fiona has matured, hardened, softened, and sharpened all at once. And as someone slowly collecting all of her vinyls, owning Fetch the Bolt Cutters felt like an essential step, not because it’s my favorite, but because it represents who she is now.
The Sound & Feeling of the Album
This album doesn’t ease you in. It clangs, stomps, hums, and chants. There’s percussion where you don’t expect it, silence where you think there shouldn’t be, and lyrics that feel less like performance and more like confession.
It’s not background music. It demands attention.
The Genre and Feel
Often labeled as alternative or experimental,
Fetch the Bolt Cutters doesn’t sit comfortably in any category.
It’s raw, rhythmic, percussive, and intentionally imperfect.
At times it feels confrontational.
At others, deeply reflective.
This album doesn’t try to be easy to listen to.
It asks you to sit with it.
My Track Ranking
This ranking is purely personal, based on how often I return to each track, how it makes me feel, and how deeply it sticks with me.
- Shameika - I love the lyricism and production so much. The way Fiona revisits a moment from her past and reframes it as empowerment feels effortless and earned.
- I Want You To Love Me - Soft, vulnerable, and quietly powerful. The theme carries so much emotional weight without needing to explain itself.
- Rack of His - Incredibly catchy.
- For Her - The perfect representation of how to tell a story by making the listener feel like they’re reliving it.
- Fetch the Bolt Cutters - The thesis statement for the album.
- Relay
- Ladies
- Drumset
- Cosmonauts
- Heavy Balloon
- Newspaper
- Under the Table
- On I Go
Final Thoughts
I’d rate Fetch the Bolt Cutters an 8.9 out of 10.
It’s not my favorite Fiona Apple album, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t brilliant. In fact, I don’t think Fiona has a single bad album, which is exactly why I’m committed to collecting all of her vinyls. Each one represents a different version of her, a different season of growth, and a different way of telling the truth.
This album feels less like something she made for listeners and more like something she made because she had to. And there’s something incredibly powerful about that.