In the five years since Fiona Apple released new original music, she has spent much of her time on social advocacy. That includes volunteering for Courtwatch PG, a Maryland-based charity that has people report on court proceedings to shine a light on injustices.
That experience inspired Apple to write and record her first song in half a decade, ‘Pretrial (Let Her Go Home),’ a track calling attention to the hardships faced by (mostly Black) women jailed in pretrial detention, unable to afford bail.
Coinciding with the single release, Apple launched a website called Let Her Go Home that shares the stories of these incarcerated women and raises money to help pay their legal fees.
This is a minimalist protest track, with Apple providing percussion herself on a box drum. As on her last album, she favors a homemade aesthetic that runs contrary to the production techniques currently dominating the music world.
The song is aimed at raising awareness of a cause, not excitement about a potential new album, but it manages to do both.
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her, wouldn’t let her go home
They wouldn’t let her go home
They wouldn’t let her go home
They wouldn’t let her go home and now there’s no more home
[Verse 1]
She took on extra shifts, still couldn’t pay the bail
No danger, no flight risk, but she would stay in jail
She was not convicted of anything
She was not convicted of anything
Won’t you let her go home?
Won’t you let her go homе?
Won’t you let her go home?
[Verse 2]
At homе she’s got two kids and grandma needs her care
Who pack the lunch and give meds if she’s in jail, not there?
They already took the only daddy that they ever had
Shot him then put a gun near him that he never had
Wouldn’t let him go home
Wouldn’t let him go home
Wouldn’t let him go home
[Verse 3]
Two months, the rent’s past due and grandma took a fall
The kids’ been missing school to see her at the hospital
When the teacher saw that they were not in school again today
She called CPS and CPS then took the kids away
Wouldn’t let them go home
Wouldn’t let them go home
Wouldn’t let them go home
[Verse 4]
Inside the news hits hard, she’s never been more alone
Can’t afford a new phone card, besides nobody’s home
Shame and isolation, economic deprivation
And there’s no more home
And there’s no more home
And there’s no more home
[Verse 5]
Preliminary hearing’s short, only witness is the cop
He doesn’t even show up in court and all the charges get dropped
What the fuck’s the point of all the fucking hell he put her through?
Took her whole world away and set her up to start round two
Wouldn’t let her go home
Wouldn’t let her go home
Wouldn’t let her go home
And now there’s no more home
[Outro]
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her, wouldn’t let her go home
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her
They wouldn’t let her, wouldn’t let her go home
Wouldn’t let her go home
Wouldn’t let her go home
Wouldn’t let her go home and now there’s no more home
Meet Me In Montauk 
You must have a Fiona Apple exception to your usual dislike of socio-political songs. My guess is that if Sting had put out the same song, you would be less than enthused.
When it’s the only new material in half a decade, I’ll take what I can get! This definitely isn’t a song I’d play very often but I appreciate the sentiment. And I hope it means she’s ready to write again.