Fiona Apple’s new song, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home),” shines a spotlight on the systemic injustice of cash bail, focusing on women—especially Black mothers—who are incarcerated before trial because they can’t afford bail.
The music video features Apple’s hands playing percussion, while images of women affected by the cash-bail system fill the screen. These visuals highlight the devastating impact of pretrial detention, particularly on families. Apple, a longtime volunteer “court watcher,” draws on her experience observing thousands of bond hearings to highlight the harm caused by this system, especially to mothers separated from their children.
This is Apple’s first original song since her 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters. In a statement, she explained her involvement with the Free Black Mamas DMV Bailout, which helps free women from pretrial detention and provides ongoing support like housing, job assistance, and legal aid.
The song’s video, produced by Zealous and Special Operations Studio, portrays the heartbreaking consequences of incarceration on families. Apple’s call to action is clear: support efforts that aim to change the broken system. “This is something that works,” she says. “Thank you for caring.”
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