Cara Delevingne also does backup vocals for this song, which is surprisingly not the only other reference point involving another artist. Kate Bush is referenced through the lines “I grew up in the shoes they told me I could fill, shoes that were not made for running up that hill, and I need to run up that hill.” Cleverly paired with dogs barking in the background of the song (as the Kate Bush reference is from the timeless album ‘Hounds of Love’, make this a stellar display of referencing- an implicit execution from an artist who so rarely uses references in her work.

Introspection runs rampant in Apple’s personal life, and an anonymous ‘Shameika’ told Fiona Apple that she has potential. Apple explains to Vulture that Shameika was a girl she used to attend school with, a girl who Apple was apparently not all that close with, as she questions when writing the song whether or not Shameika was simply a figment of her own imagination. Repetition of the phrase “Shameika said I have potential” over and over again in the chorus is a result of Shameika asking a school-age Apple “Why are you trying to sit with those girls? You have potential.” Repetition is abundant on Fetch The Bolt Cutters, from track ‘Ladies’ to closer ‘On I Go’, the song titles are repeated frequently, to varying degrees of success. Perhaps this becomes a crutch later into the album, especially on the explosive final track which is a repetition of the same phrase continuously.

‘Shameika’ is the first entry in multiple songs surrounding the theme of women, a theme that her discography has never delved into- only dipped its toes in. Aforementioned ‘Ladies’ closes with the simple line, “Yet another woman to whom I won't get through.” Astute observation for her pained self, Apple repeating the line summarises a lot of the overarching themes on the album. The message is clear, as described herself in an interview with Vulture,

“This album is a lot of not letting men pit us against each other or keep us separate from each other so they can control the message.”

‘Under The Table’ paints a scene for the audience vividly. She did not want to attend this dinner, a function of the bourgeois bragging about topics that aren’t necessarily appropriate. So, in the admirable Fiona Apple style, her voice is made heard. Outspoken and unapologetic, she is kicked under the table to stop talking, a social queue to follow acceptability and retain a level of composure. Rendered to become complicit in the power struggle that needs not be verbalised, as the roles have been set out since Apple was a young woman. Fetch The Bolt Cutters.

What is verbalised across Fetch The Bolt Cutters is an arrangement of lyrics that are potentially the most versatile and direct from any artist in over a decade. On ‘Newspaper’, Apple speaks the line “I wonder what lies he's telling you about me to make sure that we'll never be friends”. Being separated by a man who has wronged both parties, the line encapsulates the entire concept of men pitting women against each other. The entirety of Newspaper can be dissected multiple ways, captivating and filled with dual entendre. This ability is a testament to the songwriting ability and techniques employed, as the lines themselves are extremely direct. It is the subtext that truly allows this album to shine.

Apple never minces words, but on ‘For Her’ all subtext is thrown out the window. The song is the catharsis of the album, and in under three minutes the production stylings are changed over and over, fractioned and segmented. “Sniff white off a starlet's breast, treating his wife like less than a guest,” she styles quickly in a section of the song that is, in totality, incomparable to anything that comes remotely to mind. In her interview with Vulture, Apple explains that a collection of the songs on Fetch The Bolt Cutters are a collection of stories from other women, and in no other capacity is this best represented in the choir of women that close ‘For Her’.

The only remote dissatisfaction with Fetch The Bolt Cutters beyond the minimal-yet-present crutch of repetition are the songs that are mildly abstracted in the face of others that are powerhouses. No song across the entire project is dismissible or anything but an integral cog in the greater workings of the projected, however ‘Cosmonauts’ and ‘Drumset’ are the crust outside ‘For Her’, and it is hard to compare against what is set to be one of the most profound songs that will grace the decade.

Spanning over the course of more than two decades, the career of Fiona Apple is one that has been elusive, yet consistently met with acclaim. Stylings of music beyond anything popularised at the time were offered on a silver platter to an audience of millions to try, and the taste was so potent that even now Apple continues to rise in popularity through a new generation. ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ is a resounding masterpiece that showcases the will of minimal sound being used resourcefully, experimentation of abstract passages and song structure, and finally the pairing of reflective and introspective lyricism, contrasted against a world surrounding and sung with visceral catharsis.