Fiona Apple's album 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' to release in April, fans welcome the good news amid the chaos
American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple officially announced the release date of her new album 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' on April 1. The curiously-awaited fifth album will arrive digitally on April 17, her first major release in eight years.
The new studio LP follows 'The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do' (commonly abridged as 'The Idler Wheel...') which released in 2012. Since then, Apple has been out of the public eye, only playing a handful of occasional shows. She has, however, been making a few headlines over the past few months and seems to have teased an eagerness for a comeback.
In November 2019, Apple revealed a cover of the Waterboys' 1985 track, 'The Whole Of The Moon', for the TV episodic 'The Affair', which appeared during the end credits of the series finale. According to NME, Apple also sang a song for the end credits of a Halloween episode of 'Bob's Burgers'.
It goes without saying that fans are more than eager to hear Apple's new LP, but after a teaser shared by Apple's friend, Zelda Hallman, it seems some people have mixed feelings about the release coming at a time when the world faces a global coronavirus pandemic. Hallman, who often passes along messages for Apple, wrote in the teaser, shared March 31 on Twitter, "They are telling her she should release the album in October". As of now, there is no telling who "they" is, but presumably the release affects business and doesn't quite make sense during the spread of COVID-19. In the short clip, Apple said, "Should I release it? Like soon? Like really soon? I think I’m gonna.”
Apple's fans, however, are fully embracing the news and are super excited to get some new music from their favorite songstress. Hallman shared a clip of a dog running excitedly on an overcast beach on Twitter with the new album announcement and fans were quick to flood the comment section. "I think I might cry. In what feels like a constant wave of bad news THANK YOU Zelda and Fiona for some good news. APRIL 17th (sic)", said a fan, while another said, "I'm so emotional right now best thing I've heard just hoping it actually happens (sic)".
Another deemed the timing of the release suitable during the pandemic, saying "Finally some good news in this chaos! Yay!" Yet, another fan said, "Already AOTY 2020! Please tell Fiona how happy this just made everyone! Quarantine's not so bad after all". A happy fan said (in all caps), "F**k, this is the news of the year, thank you so much. Please send Fiona our love."
Some fresh, good music during a time of bad news should be a welcome addition. Artists should be allowed to do what they do best during this time and inspire hope and emotional relief through their creativity without backlash from the public.