Regulator Watts

A product of Washington, D.C.'s fertile punk and indie community, Regulator Watts is a passionate, intense trio who merge the ferocious tone and rhythmic angles of math rock with the fevered emotions and physical punch of punk. Formed by guitarist and vocalist Alex Dunham after the split of his group Hoover, Regulator Watts made a striking debut with the 1997 album The Aesthetics of No-Drag, a daring and imaginative exercise in dynamics and edgy lyrical themes released in tandem by two noted D.C. labels, Slowdime and Dischord. Within a year, the group was done and 1998's The Mercury CD collected rare and unreleased tracks from their short time together. Despite their brief lifespan, Regulator Watts were influential and fondly remembered, and The Aesthetics of No-Drag was reissued in 2026.