Following the break-up of Hoover in mid-1994, Dunham worked on new music and sought, without initial success, to start a new band in his home base of Washington, D.C. In April 1995, Dunham traveled to
Chicago, Illinois, for a one-week musical collaboration with members of the post-hardcore band
Gauge. This project, dubbed
Radio Flyer, played a single show at a
Knights of Columbus Hall in
Arlington Heights, Illinois, on April 15, 1995, and recorded their entire musical output of seven songs the following day before disbanding. That album,
In Their Strange White Armor, was released posthumously by
Polyvinyl Records on March 4, 1997. Around the time of the Radio Flyer project in 1995, Dunham and bassist Cret Wilson were introduced by the musician and graphic designer, Jason Farrell (
Swiz,
Bluetip). After writing "about six or seven songs," according to Dunham, Mercurochrome played a few concerts before disbanding when Casebolt moved away from Washington, D.C. The group primarily released its recorded output through Slowdime Records and were described by
The Washington City Paper as part of that label's "muscley rawk [sic] brigade, made up of hardcore vets flexing their artistic heads," along with labelmates
Kerosene 454. Most of the group's recordings were produced by the musician Geoff Turner (of the bands
Gray Matter,
Senator Flux, and
Three) at his studio, WGNS. Wilson and Sless-Kitain acknowledged Turner's contributions to the recordings, noting that he was "all over"
The Mercury EP and
The Aesthetics of No-Drag and was "so great" to work with, letting the band "feel that we had a sense of play," leading to a sense of freedom and experimentation in the sessions. Regulator Watts broke up at the end of 1997, their final show occurring on December 5 at the Black Cat, the same venue that hosted their debut. Dunham subsequently formed the band,
Abilene, while Sless-Kitain went on to play with
Bluetip, Brokeback, Radio International, and the Eternals. ==Reception==