Bats & Mice are an indie band formed in Richmond, VA. Members hail from ban… Read Full Bio ↴Bats & Mice are an indie band formed in Richmond, VA. Members hail from bands such as Milemarker, Rah Bras, and Men's Recovery Project. The band play an undetermined genre of music, which is built on the foundations of hardcore and angular punk, yet it is more focused on pop song structures and melody than said genres. Their music shares qualities of that made by the subtle Death Cab for Cutie, as well as more harder melodic bands such as Cursive.

The band was originally formed by three members of Sleepytime Trio. After recording their self-titled debut EP, one of the original members, Jonathon Fuller, left to pursue other projects, including, Engine Down and Denali. Bandmates David Nesmith and Ben Davis then recruited Four Hundred Years' Daron Hollowell and Ash Bruce. Bats & Mice's first full-length, Believe It Mammals, was released on Lovitt Records in 2002. The album includes haunting vocals from three of the four members over crisp percussion and intense guitar work with deliveries that range from dreamy to towering. Hollowell and Bruce then left to pursue their band Delegate, and Luke Herbst came in on drums. The EP A Person Carrying a Handmade Paper Bag Is Considered as a Royal Person was released in 2004. Herbst departed Bats & Mice to join Totimoshi that same year, and the lineup came full circle with Jonathan Fuller returning on drums.

======================Lovitt Records======================

Bats & Mice is a band that has quietly crept through the music world with an increasing presence. Three members of Sleepytime Trio originally formed the band: Jonathan Fuller, David NeSmith, and Ben Davis. They began writing songs together in a new style that pursued melody with an exploration into dark and winding territory. However, the music still maintained the energy and drive of their previous efforts. This line-up produced Bats & Mice's first work, a self-titled CDep released on Lovitt Records in fall 2000 to critical acclaim and mass popularity with college radio and fans alike.

With Bats & Mice members all involved in other bands, such as Milemarker and Rah Bras, the band moved along at a slower pace. Jonathan concentrated his efforts on his bands Denali and Engine Down, leaving little time for a third band. Bats & Mice bid him well and welcomed two members from another groundbreaking outfit who were also venturing into similar musical forms.

Longtime friends Daron Hollowell and Ash Bruce from Four Hundred Years climbed aboard and piloted the band to new directions, including live shows and a full-length album entitled Believe It Mammals, which was released on Lovitt in the spring of 2002. The band played shows in Florida, Chicago, Boston, and most everywhere in between with such rock favorites as Fugazi, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, 90 Day Men, Denali, Rah Bras, and Gregor Samsa.

Bats & Mice's intricate blend of not-so-saccharine pop and straightforward rock captured audiences as they played their first shows in December 2001. They continued to write new material and tour extensively in 2002.

This perfect farm league band then spawned another group, as Daron and Ash pursued a new project in Delegate. Writing and touring with two projects grew to involve them full time so Bats & Mice wished more friends the best as they moved on.

Jay Murphy helped out for a while on the drumkit, followed by Luke Herbst. Ratcheting up the Bats & Mice’s intensity, Luke lent a heavy, aggressive approach to the band and appeared on the group’s second EP, A Person Carrying a Handmade Paper Bag is Considered as a Royal Person. Luke left the band in 2004 for Oakland, CA, to join Totimoshi, but things have come full circle, as Jonathan Fuller has rejoined the group and cemented the original line-up.

The future of Bats & Mice looks bright with a steady approach to song writing and plans to tour in Spring 2006. They are working on new material for their next record, and a reinvigorated enthusiasm has infected the band, boding well for the group and listeners alike.

Easy
Bats & Mice Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Black shapes shifting
Maybe means something I saw
Crows in a wide open sky
Everything I need
Finds places I can't reach
Can't get a hold of

I waited for so long

For the answers to come
My heart beats so hard
I can't hold on
My chest can't hold it
Can't hold anything
I just want everything to be easy

Can't move in this darkness
But I hear the world
Moving just outside the door
I'm so sick of this place
So tired of living here
Between black and white

Will I feel safe again
Will I belong again

Overall Meaning

The song "Easy" by Bats & Mice seems to reflect on the struggles of life and the search for a sense of belonging. The lyrics start with "Black shapes shifting, maybe means something I saw", suggesting the idea of an elusive truth or meaning that the singer is trying to grasp. This is followed by the image of "Crows in a wide open sky", which could signify the freedom the singer desires, yet cannot attain.

The lines "Everything I need, finds places I can't reach, can't get a hold of" indicate a sense of helplessness and frustration. The singer wants something but cannot seem to attain it. They "waited for so long for answers to come", again suggesting a search for something that remains elusive. The chorus expresses the desire for everything to be easy, and the admission that the singer can't hold on to anything.

The second verse starts with "Can't move in this darkness, but I hear the world moving just outside the door", which could represent the feeling of being stuck in a difficult situation while everyone else seems to be moving on. The singer is "sick of this place" and "tired of living here", again conveying a sense of dissatisfaction and restlessness. The last two lines, "Will I feel safe again, will I belong again" express the longing for a sense of security and acceptance.

Overall, "Easy" is a poignant song that explores themes of longing, frustration, and the search for meaning and belonging in life.

Line by Line Meaning

Black shapes shifting
Obscure and indeterminate entities moving around

Maybe means something I saw
Perhaps what I witnessed holds significance

Crows in a wide open sky
Birds flying in a vast expanse above

Everything I need
All of my necessities

Finds places I can't reach
Are in locations physically unattainable for me

Can't get a hold of
Unable to obtain or grasp it

I waited for so long
Endured a lengthy period of time

For the answers to come
Anticipating responses or solutions

My heart beats so hard
My heart rate becomes elevated

I can't hold on
Incapable of enduring the situation any longer