While I don't think that hardcore is a stale genre it certainly must be noted that members of many seminal hardcore bands have moved on to playing with decidedly less noisy bands. Add Bats and Mice to that growing stack of "post-hardcore" CDs currently sitting atop your desk.

Formed from 3/4 of Sleepytime Trio (and current and former members of Engine Down, the Rah Brahs and Milemarker), Bats and Mice take a decidedly less noisy route than their predecessors. On their 3-song debut EP, the band sounds very reminiscent of the Black Heart Procession, only with slightly less experimental instrumentation, and a slightly greater propensity towards noise. The three songs included herein are all good songs; poppy enough to stick in your head, but still disonnant and odd enough to keep your interest beyond the initial melodies and hooks.

Oftentimes when bands mature, their maturation isn't fully realized by the time they record their album. When that happens you often end up with something that you can tell could be really great, but is marred by something incomplete. When the opposite happens -- a band has fully matured and knows exactly what they're doing -- they often put out the best record of their career. This is only Bats and Mice's first release so it is too soon to say it's their best, but it is definitely a great starting point.

taken from adkg.com