I Don't Know Why I Do Anything

Lips, the New Zealand indie-pop project fronted by Steph Brown, returns with I Don't Know Why I Do Anything—an album shaped by years of narrative songwriting through their work scoring the musical Daffodils. Recorded over several years and reimagined during the pandemic, the record explores themes of awkwardness, displacement, and emotional uncertainty. Brown and Fen Ikner crafted each song as a scene, applying sound design and production techniques learned from film and theater scoring. The result is dramatic and adventurous—shifting between cutting aggression ("Heave Ho!"), shimmering synth-pop ("Empty Hours"), subdued reflection ("Sometimes I'm Afraid"), and intimate finales. The album moves in waves, balancing hard-hitting moments with quieter introspection. Lyrically intimate and sonically varied, I Don't Know Why I Do Anything captures the full emotional spectrum of self-doubt, longing, and vulnerability. A compelling listen from a band that's honed their craft across multiple mediums.