When music reviewers hear the word “grunge”, they immediately think of Nirvana, or if they possess a basic knowledge of the Seattle scene, Pearl Jam. If the artist in question happens to be a woman then Nirvana gets replaced by Hole. And there you have it kids – a full music review of any band that dares to play rougher, louder versions of guitar music. All sorted. This type of music journalism is a pet peeve of mine as it happens so often. I am unsure if this is down to laziness or to the fact that some music writers have not been born yet when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released.
“Doll Guts” single cover, photography by Giselle Medina and James Smith
It is super annoying though as the 90s weren’t a hundred years ago and the internet allows for a quick and easy access to multiple sources that prove that Seattle sound was more than a handful of bands on major labels.
As a Seattleite I take great pride in my hometown`s musical heritage and the incredible diversity of sounds and genres that co-existed together under the umbrella of grunge – a term nobody really liked back in the day. I cringe, even if only a bit, when I hear that new and exciting artists – no matter where they are based in the world – get the above treatment. You can’t just describe every rock band by the Nirvana/Hole dichotomy and think you are fair to the music. Cause you ain`t!
And this is what has been happening to the new single from phenomenal trio I See Orange.
The song entitled “Doll Guts” was released on August 22nd to a flurry of articles all repeating the same pattern: comparing I See Orange to Hole and proclaiming the Swindon group a new grunge act. Ad nauseum.
This is where lazy journalism kicks in – writers connect a few obvious dots and think they have discovered a new continent. Hole had a song “Doll Parts”, I See Orange have “Doll Guts”. Hole had Courtney Love on vocals, I See Orange have Giselle Medina as a front woman. In the video to “Doll Guts”, Giselle is wearing a dress that looks like a dress Courtney would wear in the video to “Miss World”. Giselle plays bass and she may resemble a bit Hole`s bassist Kristen Pfaff.
Well, excuse me all you Columbuses of music journalism, just because a woman wears a dress to a video – it doesnt mean she is reheating stuff from thirty years ago. How actually dare you to imply that I See Orange lacks originality and their own ideas.
For starters, there is nothing grungy about the single. “Doll Guts” would have been considered a college rock track had it been released in 1995. It would do nicely on the Z Rock top 50 and the band would play uni halls supporting Collective Soul and Veruca Salt. Seattle sound (or the grunge if you prefer) was a mix of punk and pudel metal, born out of clash of subcultures in the early 80s. A far cry from anything that I See Orange ever released.
That doesnt mean there are no dirty riffs or powerful drum sections in their music – the essential elements that many 90s bands incorporated in their delivery. You could successfully argue that I See Orange could have been a major player in the “post grunge” category next to Candlebox and Tantric.
But…
Do you see what is happening here? All these could`s and would`s (with apologies to Alice in Chains breakthrough single) and sitting in the past. The grunge is dead, the 90s are long gone and we are currently in 2025. You can`t review a current artist through the lens of the past, without sounding dated yourself. Nostalgia is a waste of emotion as Steve Lamacq once said.
The band photographed by James Smith
What I see when I look at I See Orange is an incredibly competent, fresh and contemporary sounding rock band that makes me excited as a reviewer. Besides Gisele Medina (vocals, bass), the trio consists of Cameron Hill (guitars) and Charlie Hart (drums). This lineup has been playing together, maybe for just two or three years together, but they have the chemistry of musicians who survived three world-wide tours as a unit. They feed off each other, they pick up moods and small nuances like they can read each other’s minds. It is a super power that many artists lack.
The band is also incredibly active in London, playing pubs, festivals and grass root venues. They built themselves following online – especially on YouTube where they amassed almost 7K subscribers and hit 600K views on their DIY videos. This is a band that has not just artistic vision, but a business plan and they invest in their own brand. In the past, I wrote that I See Orange could just pack their suitcases and move to Seattle and they would be considered a part of the local scene. But this is not because they are Hole reincarnated. This is because they know instinctively what Seattle is all about – doing your own thing without looking or copying others.
When I am doing a review, part of my preparation is to check what other media or music blogs say about the single at hand. You may sometimes learn quite a bit.
In the instance of “Doll Guts” I discovered something I really detest. For example, the British music press has no idea how to treat a band that is multinational. I had few instances like this when marketing Re:O (Japanese/British/Italian metal act) or Chaidura (Singaporean visual key vocalist). Mostly, we are talking about bigger magazines, press will ignore any artist functioning in the UK that is not a boring lads band or a nepo baby industry plant and hope they will quit. This way you will never read about any authentic or talented musician that may actually interest you. But if ignorance doesn’t work, then the press will employ patronization and sexism in their articles.
Could some of my esteemed colleagues who reviewed I See Orange explain why they described Giselle Medina as “exotic” and “sultry”? The trio is fronted by a Mexican citizen but that is neither uncommon or exotic. And the rest of the group is British. Did you know that trade relations between the UK and Mexico are worth 6 billions of pounds and amount to almost 2% of our GDP? Mexico is the 12th biggest economy in the world and Latin America is a huge market to tap into. A market that is almost impossible to break for British entertainers as artists do not sing in Spanish or even know the realities of countries in that part of the world. Having a Latina front woman opens huge possibilities for I See Orange to make it on an international level. And music journalists should realize that.
I don’t have any dignified response to calling a female singer “sultry”. Book a psychiatrist folks or buy a thesaurus.
I See Orange are passionate, practical and invested a lot into their art. Moreover they seem to enjoy what they are doing and they are exceptional instrumentalists. They strive to engage their audience and do not shy from elements of horror, paranormal or spooky in their videos. The band takes inspiration from David Lynch and Chris Carter to create elaborate stories set to their music. “Doll Guts” is a wickedly funny tale of vengeance. That of a doll from a music box on two toy soldiers – all set in a doll house. I mean how can you watch the video and not be amazed how genuinely brilliant it is?
But maybe I am picky. Maybe in time my colleagues will focus not on the looks or dresses of female musicians or comparing them to rock stars past but will focus on what is at hand – incredible art made by the multinational community right here and now. In the UK in 2025.
Our music scene is jaw-droppingly good. It is the music press that is a let down. In the meantime, blast the “Doll Guts” and if you have a chance – please catch I See Orange live. As we say in Seattle – start locally, then go globally. And I truly hope that it will be true to I See Orange.
You can follow the band on socials:
https://www.facebook.com/ISEEORANGE
https://x.com/ISEEORANGEMUSIC
https://www.instagram.com/iseeorangemusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@iseeorangemusic
https://www.youtube.com/@iseeorange
https://soundcloud.com/iseeorange
https://iseeorange.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6cJ25fDskdm7xKrfr9TL6A
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 