FIONA APPLE RELEASES HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE VINYL FOR “PRETRIAL (LET HER GO HOME)” BENEFITTING MOTHERS AFFECTED BY THE BROKEN CASH-BAIL SYSTEM
12-INCH INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE AUDIO, ETCHED AND ENGRAVED DETAILS, RANDOMLY INSERTED SIGNED PHOTO CARDS
(Los Angeles, CA — December 19, 2025) Today, Fiona Apple releases the limited edition 12-inch vinyl version of her intensely moving protest anthem “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home),” which plainly and powerfully illustrates the horrifying effects of our broken cash-bail system on women, girls, and — especially — Black mothers. More than a record, the release is a call to action, fleshing out the world of the original song and pledging to donate at least $7 from each unit sold to Let Her Go initiatives. Visit LetHerGoHome.org and purchase the vinyl HERE.
The 12-inch release features “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” and companion works created for the movement — including an instrumental version of the single, an intimate “practice” version, and, on Side B, “Court Watchers (Narration & Original Score by Fiona Apple).” The latter hails from a documentary short Apple worked on with the National Courtwatch Network to encourage regular civilians to volunteer to “court watch” — observing and assessing court proceedings for fairness and efficacy. She previously spoke to The Washington Post about it.
Apple also added other details that bring the music to life: special etched vinyl, an engraved sleeve, cover art drawn by Apple herself, and — randomly inserted into the pressings — a limited quantity of photo cards signed by her. The physical release also follows the May debut of the gut-wrenchingly powerful “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” music video. Watch that HERE.
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” grew out of Apple’s recent years court-watching for CourtWatch PG. Through that work, she witnessed the all-too-common practice of mothers being separated from those who need them — thrown in jail despite a presumption of innocence simply because they couldn’t afford bail. Verse by verse, the song lays out a deepening devastation summed up by the heartbreaking lyric, “They wouldn’t let her go home and now there’s no more home.”
Produced by Zealous and Special Operations Studios, the video underscores the cold realities of the song, while showing thousands of images of everyday hope and freedom: warm photos and videos provided by women who’ve lived through pretrial detention, which capture family moments, personal accomplishments, and community bonding. But as Apple sings on — detailing a downward spiral of lost wages, unpaid rent, custody loss, and crushing shame — people and places begin glitching out and disappearing from the frame. The loss is visceral.
Created in support of the Free Black Mamas DMV initiative, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” first arrived in May alongside the launch of Apple’s LetHerGoHome.org, which provides information on the anti-bail movement, additional stories and images from survivors, a direct video message from Apple, and various avenues for ordinary people to help. You can also donate directly HERE, volunteer to court watch HERE, and purchase “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” HERE.
Fiona Apple, “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” 12” Vinyl
Side A
1. “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)”
2. “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home) (Instrumental)”
3. “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home) (Practice)”
Side B
1. “Court Watchers (Narration & Original Score by Fiona Apple)”
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