Be Decent Share "Come Sweetly" Single Ahead of NOW'S THE TIME LP
The Brooklyn band's debut LP features guest vocals from Ted Leo and was mixed by Jay Nugent of The Slackers.
Brooklyn, NY band Be Decent has released their new single 'Come Sweetly' from their debut LP Now's The Time, due out September 18th via Two Slices Records. The track follows album singles 'You Better Work' and 'Human Nature' (ft. Ted Leo), which have earned praise from Stereogum, The Punk Site, RIFF Magazine, and more.
'By law, they can't all be ska songs,' bassist Ken Partridge says of the track. 'It's good to mix things up—both on the album and on stage—and it's nice to have a love song, if that's what you want to call this. The first line is, 'Now that I know I can't trust you…' So there's obviously some pain and frustration here. And in a weird way, that fits with the other themes on the album. Politically, fiscally, romantically: Nothing is ever easy.'
Now's the Time is a record about what Paul Weller called the 'constant struggle just to exist'—both in the micro and macro senses. There are songs about mental health ('Struggle,' 'You Better Work'), the empty feeling that comes with financial instability ('HOLE'), and the seemingly insurmountable divisions in modern American society ('Hateful,' 'Try Not to Die,' 'Can't Argue').
Through it all, there's a sense of hope: 'All That I Need' celebrates the rejuvenating power of NYC, while the stomping title track offers sound advice for those trudging through the morass: 'Most things are out of your control / Don't let uncertainty take hold.' If you can't find catharsis singing along to the chorus 'Human Nature,' the bad guys may have already won.
Now's the Time was mixed by 'Agent' Jay Nugent of NYC ska greats The Slackers and recorded by Mitch Rackin (The Slackers, Psychic Ills), who also handled mastering. For the retro-style cover art, Be Decent enlisted J Bonner, whose credits include Rancid, Jimmy Cliff, and Studio One. Guests on the album include punk icon Ted Leo, who sings on the lead single, 'Human Nature.'
'Come Sweetly' is out today via Two Slices Records. Now's The Time is out 9/18.
Tracklist
01. Get Over It
02. Human Nature (ft. Ted Leo)
03. Now's The Time
04. Come Sweetly
05. Chasing Dawn
06. You Better Work
07. All That I Need
08. Struggle
09. Out For Blood
10. Can't Argue
11. Be Decent
12. Try Not to Die
13. Hole
14. Hateful
15. O'Doctor
About Be Decent
Be Decent is a four-piece from Brooklyn, New York, with an abiding love for ska and a wandering eye for many other genres. The band's sound draws from vintage ska, reggae, and soul; '70s heroes like The Clash, The Jam, Elvis Costello, and Dexys Midnight Runners; and the third-wave ska that was ubiquitous in the '90s. All of these influences can be heard on the quartet's forthcoming debut album, Now's The Time, a collection of taut, danceable songs with giant hooks and impassioned lyrics about human decency, a rare commodity in 2026.
The group formed in August 2022, when pandemic boredom led bassist Ken Partridge (author of the 2021 book Hell of a Hat: The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing) and drummer Geoff Bickford to issue a call for musicians on social media. That's how they found singer and guitarist Jimmy Doyle, a veteran of 21st century ska groups like The Fad and The Forthrights, and they later added saxophone ace Matt Mason, who's played with the likes of The Pietasters, Bad Manners, and Uzimon—and guested with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Chisel, Stranger Cole, The Slackers, Roddy Radiation (The Specials), and The Amazing (Royal) Crowns.
Be Decent is a young band, but they've already shared bills with the likes of The Slackers, The Toasters, Spring Heeled Jack, The Scofflaws, Pilfers, Stop the Presses, and Elvis Costello.
Photo Credit: Graham Ferguson
Photo Credit: Graham Ferguson
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