On her fifth studio album, and first in 8 years following 2012’s The Idler Wheel…, legendary singer-songwriter Fiona Apple returns in perhaps her rawest form with Fetch The Bolt Cutters. With raw arguably being an understatement for the stylistic choices and aesthetics Fiona incorporates on the record, the elusive singer creates and utilizes sounds such as make shift household percussion and the literal barks of her dogs (who are credited on the record), to weld together an overall sound not only novel to her discography, but the entire current music landscape as we know it.

While the seemingly relatable “everyday-sounding” production on Fetch The Bolt Cutters takes listeners into a realm not many other albums would, Apple’s vocal performances further launch the record into a category unique to itself featuring the signature, emotionally-potent singing she is known for, which robustly compliments her sonic choices. Fiona uses her hypnotic and at times heavy, voice to deliver piercing, poetic lyrics such as on Track 11, “For Her” which includes the line “You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in.” It’s lyrics such as these in addition to the endearing corroded production and Apple’s infectious singing that culminate in her most daring record yet – an album that is not necessarily the most elegant-sounding but rather a liberating, personable experience instead. In this way, she once again constructs an album that seems to challenge typical music notions, resulting in perhaps her most different album yet – textbook Fiona Apple.