Be Decent Are “Having A Laugh” On Debut EP

With apologies to Burt Bacharach and Hal David, what the world needs now is not love, sweet love. Love would be nice, but it’s too tall an order for the hateful, the indoctrinated, the radicalized. So let’s start with something simpler: good old-fashioned decency. We’re talking tolerance, grace and kindness, toward others as well as ourselves. That’s the message driving Having A Laugh, the self-produced debut EP by Be Decent, a new Brooklyn trio that blends ska and reggae with soul, punk and power-pop.

Be Decent is the brainchild of singer/guitarist Jimmy Doyle, formerly of such celebrated ska bands as The Fad and The Forthrights; bassist Kenneth Partridge, author of the 2021 book Hell of a Hat: The Rise of ’90s Ska And Swing; and drummer Geoff Bickford, whose career in ska dates all the way back to the popular ’90s-era Connecticut group Jimmie Scooter. Together, they write songs about unity, mental health and the struggles of everyday life.

Having A Laugh also features keyboard and trombone from Sean McCabe (Arrogant Sons of Bitches / Bomb The Music Industry! / Rocky Sullivan / PsyD) and saxophone from Matt Mason (The Pietasters / Bad Manners / The Fad). The collection comprises six originals and a cover of The Cranberries 1996 single, Salvation.