Last Updated on 2025-10-18 by a-indie
What is Haviana?
The line “Haviana just say what you mean” that appears at the beginning.
What this “Haviana” refers to is not made clear.
Is it someone’s nickname, or is it a metaphor for something else?
This mysterious address stirs various imaginations in the listener while suggesting that these lyrics are based on very personal experiences.
The urgent tone of demanding the other person’s true intentions is further emphasized by this word.
Polly Puts a Sock In
The expression “Polly put a sock in my mouth” that appears in the latter half of the lyrics is an important metaphor that heightens the song’s tension to its peak.
“Put a sock in it” is a colloquial expression meaning “shut up,” but here, something or someone called “Polly” is silencing the protagonist.
I interpreted this as a symbol of the protagonist’s inner voice that cannot speak out, or external pressure.
The skillful metaphor that follows, “Climbing up the walls of my house,” is also excellent.
By depicting the state of being mentally cornered and on the verge of explosion as a scene, it brilliantly portrays the urgent situation of something about to explode from within.
Miscommunication, That Silent “Notice”
The story this song depicts is the very “miscommunication” in relationships that many people likely experience.
The protagonist tries to weave words while削ring away at their own heart in response to the other’s silence.
The chorus line “Told you I love you, but it isn’t fair / If I have to I tell you when I need you there” symbolizes this distorted relationship.
The wish that feelings should be understood without words, precisely because there is love.
However, that wish doesn’t reach, and silence separates the two.
And finally, it reaches the ultimatum: “You bring the silence, I’ll bring the news.”
This is a painful declaration of resolve that foreshadows the end of the relationship.
Influence from Julian Casablancas
What can be felt from the “Hey You” MV is the influence from The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas in many aspects—vocalist Maisie’s clothing, behavior while singing, and mysterious lyrics.
What Julian Casablancas presented during the ‘Is This It’ era was a style described as “worn-out cool.”
Maisie Everett’s fashion also shares this “effortless coolness.”
Her style seen in the “Hey You” MV and elsewhere is a casual jacket style that’s an extension of everyday wear while following their style.
This can be said to be a reinterpretation of the New York street sensibility and “paradoxical coolness” that Julian and the band embodied, in contemporary Australia.
Fragmentary and “Mysterious” Scenic Descriptions
The most prominent commonality is the “mysterious” nature of the lyrics.
Julian’s lyrics were characterized by not telling a specific story, but rather using fragmentary scenes and ambiguous pronouns (“I,” “you,” “she”) to leave room for listener interpretation.
The Belair Lip Bombs’ “Hey You” follows this technique precisely.
Proper nouns like “Haviana” and “Polly” that appear suddenly serve as hooks that intentionally confuse the listener and draw them into the world of the lyrics.
Like the techniques Julian employed, these deliberately abstract and fragment very personal experiences to evoke the listener’s own memories of “yearning” and “miscommunication.”
Precisely because it’s not explanatory, the cry of “Hey You” achieves a universal resonance.
The Belair Lip Bombs Album Release
‘Again’
Release Date: October 31, 2025
Tracklist:
1.Again and Again
2.Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)
3.Another World
4.Cinema
5.Back Of My Hand
6.Hey You
7.If You’ve Got The Time
8.Smiling
9.Burning Up
10.Price Of A Man
The Belair Lip Bombs Profile
The Belair Lip Bombs were formed in Frankston, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The members are Maisie Everett, Mike Bradovka, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel “Dev” Devlin. After graduating high school, they balanced day jobs with band activities while pursuing a sound influenced by The Rolling Stones, Television, The War On Drugs, and Stephen Malkmus. Their self-described “yearn-core” is characterized by a combination of quick rhythms, warm fuzzy guitar melodies, and Maisie’s cathartic vocals.
Writer: Tomohiro Yabe(yabori)
Editor-in-Chief of BELONG Media/A-indie. Has been writing the music blog “Timeless Masterpiece,” which became the predecessor to BELONG, since 2010.
After writing for “only in dreams” organized by Masafumi Gotoh, vocalist of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, studied music business at a music vocational school.
Has written articles about Japanese and international music for over 10 years.
Previously worked at a music CD rental shop with over 100,000 album titles, handling garage rock, psychedelic rock, and Japanese indie rock sections.
Leveraging these experiences, has published 26 issues of the music magazine “BELONG Magazine” themed around “roots rock.”
Currently writes articles based on SEO strategies learned at a web production company. Hobby is watching “Kaiun! Nandemo Kantei-dan.”
Articles written so far are here
Twitter: @boriboriyabori
About BELONG Media/A-indie
BELONG Media is an indie music media outlet that started in 2012. We cover indie music from around the world, including Japan and overseas. In 2021, we appeared as a guest on J-WAVE’s “SONAR MUSIC.” In 2022, we launched “A-indie,” an English-language sister site focusing on Asian music.
- BELONG Media: [https://belongmedia.net/]
- A-indie: [https://a-indie.com/]
- x(BELONG Media): [https://x.com/BELONG_Media]
- x(Jingle Jungle Range Town Project): [https://x.com/JingleJungleRT]
- Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/belong_media]
- Link List: [https://linktr.ee/belong_media]
- Contact regarding this matter: BELONG Media/A-indie Email: [belongmagazine1967＠gmail.com](Please change “＠” to “@”)
How to Join Discord
We’ve launched a Discord server for A-indie. Enjoy relaxed chats about your favorite music in both English and Japanese!
If you don’t have a Discord account, please refer to GIGAZINE’s account creation guide to create an account.
You can join through the following link
🔗BELONG / A-indie Official Discord Server Invitation Link🔗
Join Discord
- is a music media platform run by BELONG, a Japanese music organization. We publish music articles with a focus on indie music.
[…] English article here 🔗 English […]