Jaialai's "Victor’s Belt" Music Video Finds Inspiration in a Pair of Tight-Fitting Pants

It started with his girlfriend's red highwater pants.

Jose "Jovi" Adames, guitarist and vocalist for psychedelic rock band Jaialai, has long obsessed over his girlfriend's red pants. With the music video for "Victor’s Belt," Jovi finally found a use for his obsession.

The latest single off the Culebra EP released earlier this year struck a chord with the quartet's new record label, Super Music Group. So on the rooftop of Adames' girlfriend's flat in Mexico City, where he had been living prior to the onset of the pandemic, he transformed into Victor as the sun dipped below the horizon over the city as videographer Fahad Asvat captured it all.

“My girlfriend [Maria] always gets pissed at me because I love those pants," Adames explains. "I always want to wear them, and she’s always like, 'No, I’m going to wear them tonight.' Then when the video idea came along, I was like, those are the pants for sure."

Besides the tight-fitting pants, the video feature Adames dancing on the rooftop alone, surrounded by cisterns, satellite dishes, and a whole mess of cables as the golden hour sets in. As Victor, Adames seems to be blissful as he quietly serenades the city as he lip-synchs to bandmember and songwriter Oscar Sardiñas' vocals.

Throughout the track, the line “Let 'em know why'' comes up again and again It’s a gently rallying cry about forgoing judgment and choosing for yourself how to move in life. If you want to know why, look in the mirror.
“It’s like sometimes you need to be at work at nine, but something happened last night and you went out and partied, and there's a general judgment when it comes to these things," Adames explains. "Victor’s just like, ‘This is me, and I don’t have to give you an excuse or an explanation to what I am and what I do.’ It’s just life happening."

Wonder why Victor missed that appointment? Just watch him dance and you’ll understand that not only did he miss the appointment, but he’s already moved on from it. "Victor’s Belt" finds peace in waxing philosophical on such trivial matters.

“Two in the morning getting back home/I’ve got ten alarms set just in case I get lazy/It’s out of my hands/It’s like that."

The song's title came from Jaialai bass player Mario Lemus and a belt given to him that belonged to his friend's uncle Victor. Lemus also contributed to the track's signature bassline. During rehearsals, Lemus would play the tune as a warm-up, but after a few days of hearing it over and over again, the band started jamming along to it.

“The idea of 'Victor's Belt' comes from that bassline that he started playing,” Adames says.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for Jaialai’s new EP, As Sweet As I Was, coming out March 12, 2021, via Super Music Group. And with "Victor’s Belt" being featured as a bonus track, it's safe to say Adames' girlfriend isn't getting those pants back.