Here's a riddle:

Q: When is a side project not a side project?
A: When all the members of the project in question are essentially just old bandmates reuniting under a different name.

If Paul, George and Ringo got together and called themselves Club Soda, would they be anything other than the Beatles? Well, yes, if they strayed as far enough away from their fan-imposed signature sound as Bats and Mice do. (Please note that John's still dead and Drew is nowhere to be found in this incarnation.)

After east coast legends Sleepytime Trio shattered into a million pieces (okay, just four), three of its former members, Ben Davis, Jonathan Fuller and Dave Nesmith still "felt the love" enough to get together for a new excursion into the darker pop inclinations their former band only hinted at. In that sense, Bats and Mice is kind of like remarrying an ex-wife, especially with tour dates and a full-length on the horizon.

At only three tracks, the band's self-titled debut EP is so ephemeral that it scarcely leaves an impact. Like being shot by an airpuff gun firing goose down bullets. Not exactly what you'd call "making the most out of the concentrated EP format." But if this record's brief 12 minutes scurry by unnoticed, it's in no way related to any slightness on the music's behalf; Bats and Mice wring enough atmosphere out of their guitar/bass/drums instrumentation to restore the ozone.

The opening song, "This All Can Be Completely the Same," features a guitar riff and a vocal tendency inspired by the softer side of Wig Out at Denko's. Of course, this doesn't serve as a strike against the band, since Dag Nasty, another largely unrecognized side project, produced some excellent music in their day. The only distraction is the trite device of simultaneous singing. It's realist and conversational, but I can't get into Robert Altman films for the same reason. I suspect it's just me.

The middle child, "Your Myself," suffers from all the classic Jan Brady neuroses: neglect, inferiority complexes, and awkward structure, not to mention a schizophrenic title. It's the kind of song you want to ask derisively, "Why can't you be more like your sister?" Finally, rounding out this epic-length EP comes "The Bridge is Out (To Burn)," which balances on a beam of brittle harmonies and plodding, paced tempo.

It's encouraging to see such luminaries finding new ways to vent their angst and melancholy. And with more band connections than songs, the Bats and Mice serve as a nice microcosm of the Lovitt label. Think "punkgazer" and you might be on to something. Say it often enough and you could accidentally coin a new term.

-John Dark