Upcoming Releases

New York City ska upstarts Be Decent have released their debut single, “Human Nature,” a spiky punk rock anthem inspired by The Jam and Elvis Costello and featuring guest vocals from indie legend Ted Leo. The song is about how phony moral crusaders tear others down in hopes of landing on the “right side of history.” On the buildup to the towering chorus, lead singer Jimmy Doyle is disappointed, if not exactly surprised: “It’s nothing major / Just human nature.”

“Human Nature” is the first taste of Be Decent’s debut album, Now’s the Time, due out September 18. The band formed in the summer of 2022, when lingering pandemic boredom led bassist Kenneth 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 met Doyle, a veteran of ska bands like The Fad and The Forthrights, and in 2024, they officially added ace saxophonist Matt Mason, who’s played with the likes of The Pietasters, Bad Manners, Chisel, and Stranger Cole. 

Over the last couple years, Be Decent have opened for The Slackers, The Toasters, Pilfers, The Scofflaws, and even Elvis Costello. The band recorded Now’s the Time at Deep Dive Studios in Brooklyn with engineer Mitch Rackin (The Slackers, Psychic Ills), while intrepid Slackers guitarist Agent Jay handled mixing duties. J Bonner, who’s created iconic album covers for the likes of Rancid and Jimmy Cliff, provided the artwork.

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 (“H.O.L.E.”), 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.