Artist in Focus
Fiona Apple Furious New Song “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” — a Gut-Punch to America’s Justice System
Alongside the release, Fiona Apple launched the Let Her Go Home website, offering fans a chance to support local bail funds and learn more about the issue. According to her site, more than 60,000 women are detained pretrial in the U.S., the majority of whom are mothers with minor children. Their average annual income? Just $11,000.
After a five-year hiatus, Fiona Apple has re-emerged with a powerful new anthem that takes direct aim at America’s cash bail system. Her latest track, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home),” released on May 6, is less a comeback single and more a raw protest, rooted in years of direct observation and activism.
The song, driven by urgent percussion and Fiona Apple’s unflinching vocals, tells the real stories of mothers jailed before trial simply because they couldn’t afford bail. The video features emotional footage and personal photos of impacted women, many of whom Apple met during her two years as a volunteer court watcher, attending thousands of bond hearings.
“I saw so many people get caged away simply because they could not afford bail,” Fiona Apple wrote in a statement that opens the video. “Before they even got a trial… while still presumed innocent.” Over a haunting chant — “They wouldn’t let her go home” — viewers are shown the faces of women separated from their children and families.
Produced by Zealous and Special Operation Studios, the track fuses tribal beats with Fiona Apple’s sharp, visceral lyricism. It draws a stark portrait of the ripple effects of pretrial incarceration: children left without caretakers, lost jobs, school disruptions, and systemic trauma. “At home she’s got two kids / And grandma needs her care / Who’ll pack the lunch and give meds / If she’s in jail, not there?” she asks.
The song builds to a furious crescendo: “The only witness is the cop / He doesn’t even show up in court / And all the charges get dropped / What the f–k’s the point of all the f–king hell he put her through?” Fiona Apple doesn’t hold back — and holds back her rage.
Alongside the release, Fiona Apple launched the Let Her Go Home website, offering fans a chance to support local bail funds and learn more about the issue. According to her site, more than 60,000 women are detained pretrial in the U.S., the majority of whom are mothers with minor children. Their average annual income? Just $11,000.
The site also includes portraits of formerly detained women, described with words like “resilient,” “visionary,” and “authentic.” It’s a personal, humanising counter to the dehumanising effects of pretrial detention.
This is Fiona Apple’s first new original music since her 2020 Grammy-winning album Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and it continues her activism. In 2023, she narrated a PSA for the National Courtwatch Network urging people to witness what happens in American courtrooms.
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” isn’t just a song — it’s a plea for dignity, freedom, and systemic change. With this release, Fiona Apple reminds us that music can still be a weapon — and she’s wielding it with purpose.
