Fiona Apple has returned with a new recording of “Revolution,” the 1968 protest song by Mother Earth. The cover was made with Davíd Garza, Sebastian Steinberg and Amy Aileen Wood under the name The Bolt Cutters, and it is set to appear on the benefit album Right Now.
The album is being produced by Dougie Bowne, with proceeds designated for Doctors Without Borders. Reports published Friday said Apple’s version of “Revolution” was shared through the Instagram account of her friend and roommate Zelda Hallman, where the track could be heard alongside a lengthy statement about politics, war and social justice.
The Bolt Cutters Record Across Several Cities
The new recording brought Apple back together with musicians closely associated with her recent work. Garza, Steinberg, Wood and Apple recorded their parts remotely from Los Angeles, Houston and locations on the East Coast rather than gathering for a single studio session.
According to the statement shared with the release, Wood helped assemble the separate performances into the completed track. Stereogum and Consequence both reported that the group is using the name The Bolt Cutters for the collaboration, a reference that also connects naturally with Apple’s 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters.
“Revolution” was first recorded by Mother Earth in 1968, during a period when protest music was closely tied to opposition to war and demands for social change. Apple and her collaborators have revived the song at another politically charged moment, releasing their version days after the 2026 midterm elections.
Hallman’s post presented the election results as a reason for hope while arguing that political change should not stop at the ballot box. The statement connected the song to demonstrations, labor actions, reproductive rights, immigration, health care, Indigenous rights and conflicts affecting civilians in several parts of the world.
The post also called for an end to violence against civilians and questioned how public money is spent during wars. It framed those concerns as connected struggles centered on dignity, justice and peace rather than as separate political causes.
That message gives the recording a clear activist purpose beyond its place on a compilation album.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, provides medical humanitarian assistance in areas affected by armed conflict, disease outbreaks and disasters. The organization says its work is guided by independence, impartiality and neutrality, and that medical aid is provided based on need rather than political affiliation.
No confirmed release date or complete track list for Right Now was available in reports published Friday.
Apple Has Been Addressing Current Events Through Music
The release follows several recent projects that have shown Apple engaging with social and political themes. In July, she appeared in a video shared by Hallman and spoke about the difficulty of writing while confronting what she described as an “endless barrage of horrors” in the world.
Apple said at the time that she was trying to find an honest way to respond creatively without appearing indifferent to suffering. She also acknowledged that she was questioning whether she was the right person to address some of the issues that concerned her.
Her new version of “Revolution” offers one answer to that problem by using an existing protest song rather than introducing a newly written political statement. The accompanying message makes the connection explicit, placing the recording within a larger appeal for peace and social justice.
Apple has also released new music for television this year. Her song “Horns of a Bull” serves as the title theme for the Apple TV miniseries Lucky, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, and was released in July as part of the show’s official soundtrack.
“Horns of a Bull” was written and performed by Apple and co-produced with Wood. Official credits also list Steinberg on bass, giving the track another connection to the musicians involved in the new “Revolution” recording.
Apple’s most recent studio album remains Fetch the Bolt Cutters, released in 2020. Since then, she has appeared only occasionally with new material, including the 2025 protest song “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” and several collaborations.
The new cover continues that pattern of selective releases rather than signaling a newly announced studio album. For now, “Revolution” is tied specifically to Right Now and its fundraising purpose.
The choice of Doctors Without Borders is consistent with the international focus of Hallman’s accompanying statement. The organization operates medical programs in crisis settings around the world and says it provides care without regard to race, religion, gender or political affiliation.
Apple’s recording also reflects a longer tradition of musicians revisiting older protest songs when their themes regain relevance. Rather than changing the song’s basic political character, the new version places it in a contemporary setting shaped by elections, wars and disputes over rights and public policy.
The release arrives at a moment when Apple has been unusually visible after years of limited public activity. Her television work, collaborations and political statements have all appeared within the same year, although she has not announced a full-length follow-up to Fetch the Bolt Cutters.
For listeners, the immediate focus is the benefit project itself. Right Now is expected to include Apple and The Bolt Cutters’ version of “Revolution,” with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders, while further details about the album’s release and participating artists have not yet been announced.