The French-American duo Special Friend is back in 2026 with a third album, *Clipping*, a sunnier, more ambitious, and more self-assured record than before. It carries the influence of The Swirlies, Duster, Alex G, and Elliott Smith; the album continues in the vein of the duo's previous works, but the production is more refined, more arranged, and the stylistic palette is enriched with tracks featuring slowcore, folk, and krautrock leanings. The album was recorded in July 2025 at Studio Claudio by Alexis Fugain (Biche) and Margaux Bouchaudon (En Attendant Ana), then mixed in London by Syd Kemp (Thurston Moore, Ulrika Spacek, Caroline, Crack Cloud, Vanishing Twin, etc.).