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Fetch the Bolt Cutters Image
Metascore
98

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 1396 Ratings

  • Summary: The fifth full-length studio release for the alternative singer-songwriter was self-produced and features contributions from Davíd Garza, Sebastian Steinberg, and Amy Aileen Wood.
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  • Record Label: Epic
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Apr 22, 2020
    100
    On a purely musical level, it’s a bold experiment in pop craft, a collection of songs on which Apple stretches her talents in adventurous new directions. ... Fetch the Bolt Cutters is Apple’s most timely—and timeless—effort yet.
  2. Apr 17, 2020
    100
    The result is that this seems not so much an album as a sudden glorious eruption; after eight long years, an urgent desire to be heard.
  3. Apr 17, 2020
    100
    “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is daring in a new way, scrambling and shattering the pop-song structures that once grounded her. ... I am floored by this record. I hear freedom, too. These songs make some breathtaking hairpin turns. ... It’s not just the wild craftsmanship of each song. It’s also that she’s fearless about what she’s doing: with sounds, with structures, with people’s expectations.
  4. Apr 17, 2020
    90
    The result of Apple’s self-imposed social distancing is the stunning intimacy of the material here — a rich text to scour in quarantine. Her idiosyncratic song structures, full of sudden stops and lurching tempo changes, adhere to logic only she could explain, which forces you to listen as attentively as though a dear friend were bending your ear.
  5. Uncut
    May 22, 2020
    90
    Fetch The Bolt Cutters is mostly the soundtrack of liberation, not recrimination, with Apple's piano keys, battering on the walls and barking dogs as its percussive, beating heart. [Jul 2020, p.27]
  6. Apr 23, 2020
    90
    Rage sits alongside heartache and humor, the shifts in mood occurring with a dramatic flair and a disarming playfulness. The unpredictable nature feels complex and profoundly human, resulting in an album that's nourishing and joyfully cathartic.
  7. 80
    This time there’s a more untamed fierceness in Apple’s voice, as she relays tales of feminism, abusive partners, the sacrifices of love and the dinner parties she won’t be quiet at. Unrefined sounds recorded in her LA home make for a visceral listening experience.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 71 out of 359
  1. Oct 30, 2020
    10
    We only had to wait 8 years but it was worth every single second. I don't know how but she exceeds expectations with the bar set at nothingWe only had to wait 8 years but it was worth every single second. I don't know how but she exceeds expectations with the bar set at nothing less than Extraordinary. If you listen to this and don't like it I beg you to put on headphones and listen from beginning to end. It may take some a little time to find the comfort, but when you do, it's magnificent. Expand
  2. Apr 17, 2020
    10
    This is such a huge statement as an album. The lyrics are brilliant, incredible instrumental, incredible production, incredible everything. ItThis is such a huge statement as an album. The lyrics are brilliant, incredible instrumental, incredible production, incredible everything. It feels almost like a new statement for music in general, it got too much going on and everything just works incredibly well, nothing like it. It feels like a huge fresh air of a completely original, innovative and refined masterpiece. Expand
  3. Sep 4, 2023
    10
    Fiona Apple's 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' is a true masterpiece that emerges once in a blue moon. This album is nothing short of a revelation,Fiona Apple's 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' is a true masterpiece that emerges once in a blue moon. This album is nothing short of a revelation, boldly stretching the boundaries of musical artistry with its raw and unapologetic authenticity. From its unconventional instrumentals to its fearless exploration of lyrics, it's an extraordinary gem that will unquestionably withstand the test of time. It's a genuine work of art that unequivocally merits a flawless 10. Expand
  4. Apr 19, 2020
    10
    Se cagó en Mierga y en la industria!!! Quedisimaaaaaaa me arranco el cuero cabelludo
  5. Apr 23, 2020
    10
    Because so many reviewers have called out all the strengths of this release, I thought it would be fun to go through some of the more asinineBecause so many reviewers have called out all the strengths of this release, I thought it would be fun to go through some of the more asinine and truly senseless "reviews", since there really are so many that display what makes this album one of the strongest of the year so far--

    The majority of "0-1" scores are accounts who signed up solely to give this album that obscenely low rating for someone who sings without autotune and masterfully plays their own instrumentation. At the very least, that calls for a 3 if using sound judgement.

    Putsman - Rating: 1 (no other reviews) - "Doesn’t sound like anything I’d want to listen to again after one go." So you willfully admit to listening to it once (and 95% sure you skimmed). Nice. Thanks for typing that out.

    ravenvenom - Rating: 1 - "Original, that’s for sure." "Don’t mistake originality for genius." Originality gets a 1, that makes sense, totally. But dont worry, they gave the past three Madonna releases all 10's. So they definitely have an understanding of both originality and "genius."

    JesseBarre - Rating: 0 - "feminist anthems that act as if women who willingly utilize their sexuality to get ahead & become plutocrats in Beverly Hills who have the ability to destroy any man they wants lives with a single tweet." This drama queen sounds like he had a bad relationship once. But Jesse gives Big Sean a 10 due to "quirky wordplay." k!

    liscarta - Rating: 0 (no other reviews) - "It sounds like a podcast." Can you recommend some to me? Those sound dope.
    Expand
  6. May 7, 2020
    7
    It's insulting to saddle what merit this album does have with extraordinarily out of whack pandemic-sized praise—and Apple herself evenIt's insulting to saddle what merit this album does have with extraordinarily out of whack pandemic-sized praise—and Apple herself even admitted being uncomfortable with it. The response to this album is oddly parallel to her debut, Tidal, but we all know an artist can never debut twice. In truth, when the dust settles, this album will be understood as a career shakeup that will bring a new audience to her older catalog and it will settle into being what it is: every "weird" RIckie Lee Jones album the public ignored. Best track: "Cosmonauts" Expand
  7. Jun 29, 2020
    0
    PLEASE. THIS album is something bored. The World don't needs It!!!! PLEASE!

See all 359 User Reviews

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