Regulator Watts return after nearly 30 years with kWh, a five-song set that keeps its footing in Washington punk while pushing into tougher post-hardcore shapes. Alex Dunham’s guitar has a sharp, uneasy tone, set against Cret Wilson’s bass and vocals and Areif Sless-Kitain’s forceful drumming. The songs move between heavy, locked-in grooves and quieter passages that feel tense rather than restful. “It’s Gonna Happen,” “Scotch Blue,” “kilowatt-hours,” “Lefty’s Deceiver,” and “Ode To Dorothy” make a compact tracklist, but there’s enough contrast to give each one a distinct pull.
Kurt Ballou recorded the main sessions at Electrical Audio in Chicago, then mixed the release at God City, with additional recording by Mike Lust and Shea Roebuck. That lineage makes sense in the weight of the guitars and the tight, physical rhythm section, though kWh never sounds like a simple exercise in hardcore muscle. It should land well with people who follow the DC and Washington punk lineage, especially anyone drawn to bands that let pressure build before snapping back into a riff. Solid Brass Records issues it as a paid release with a vinyl LP, alongside the digital versions.
