Fiona Apple Says Her Record Is Done
Fiona Apple does not work quickly. It’s been nearly eight years since Apple released The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, her fourth album. In most of the time since then, Apple has been in a state of relative seclusion, only playing occasional shows and mostly staying out of the public eye. But in the past few months, Apple has been stepping back out every so often. She’s recorded a couple of songs for TV shows: A cover of the Waterboys’ “The Whole Of The Moon” for The Affair, another quick track for Bob’s Burgers. And in her very occasional interviews, she’s also said a few things about her much-awaited fifth LP. Apparently, that album is now done.
This past January, Apple had this to say about album five: “It’s really up to me. It’ll be done soon… It’s just I have to do artwork and stuff, and I’ve been dragging my feet a little bit. I don’t know. Sometime in a few months, I guess.” It is now a few months later, and Apple has let the world know, in her own way, that her album is finished.
Fiona Apple does not have a social media presence. But every once in a while, she’ll communicate with the world via Fiona Apple Rocks, a fan Tumblr. Last night, she shared a minute-long video of herself, watching the 1950 George Cukor film Born Yesterday. We see Apple’s face hovering in the foreground as Judy Holliday is telling an abusive asshole to fuck off: “Some people are always giving, and some taking. But it’s not fair. So I’m not gonna let ya anymore, or anybody else.” And then Apple, looking into the camera, uses American Sign Language to spell out these words: My record is done. Then she looks into the camera, smiles, and nods. Hell yeah. Watch it below.
There’s no guarantee we’ll get to hear this new album anytime soon, but now we can be just slightly more confident about the state of the world.