Special Friend – Breakfast (Skep Wax / Howlin’Banana / Hidden Bay)
French / American duo Special Friend announce their forthcoming third album, Clipping, with the release of indiepop single Breakfast
Artist: Special Friend
Track: Breakfast
Label: Skep Wax / Howlin’ Banana / Hidden Bay
Release date: 15 January 2026
Find it: YouTube

French/American duo Special Friend are on the cusp of releasing a third album, Clipping, along with an extensive tour of the UK and they’re teasing us for both with the release of single Breakfast.
It’s a wonder of a track: pure indiepop sunshine for the long dark of January. Breakfast is upbeat, playful, and both surprising and delightful in equal measure. Starting out with jangling guitar and a vocal line bubbling like a clear mountain stream, subtle but present there’s a more serious story told in the dual vocals than first listen might have you notice.
While you start to catch on to that the guitars take a turn, becoming big and crunchy as they stand against the spiralling keys. And there’s the thing with Special Friend: as a duo they create a big full, sound full of intricate structures without individual elements getting lost in the mix.
So, start your day right with Breakfast from Special Friend and look forward to a treat down the line as we get even more pop-tastic tracks on the album.
Breakfast by Special Friend is out digitally now. Third album Clipping is due out via Skep Wax (UK and North America), Howlin’ Banana and Hidden Bay Records (both France) on 20 March 2026.
Find Special Friend: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
Live dates:
- 4 March – The Rossi Bar, Brighton
- 5 March – The Smoke House, Ipswich
- 6 March – The Garibaldi Hotel, Northampton
- 7 March – The Hope and Anchor, London
- 8 March – Just Dropped In Records, Coventry
- 9 March – Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield
- 10 March – JT Soar, Nottingham
- 11 March – The Victoria, Birmingham
- 12 March – Le Pub, Newport
- 13 March – Talleyrand, Manchester
- 14 March – The Cavern, Exeter
- 15 March – The Bunkhouse, Swansea
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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