Wild Times is one of those great hidden gems you find that could have belonged to any of the past seven decades. Completely unplaceable, yet totally original, this personnel team of eight self-proclaimed ‘boogie rockers’ will have you scratching your head that these songs came out in 2026.
It’s a party right from the very beginning, and Braindead Boogie kicks it all off with a pounding bass line and the always welcome slide guitar. This is some serious road trip music, made for fast driving with all the windows down.
The Wild Times single keeps hold of the momentum, while tracks like The Boogie Has Landed may almost have you wondering if this is just one big ruse. Even if that is the case, the track is just too infectiously good to think about it too much anyway. The band is having just as much fun here with their boogie aesthetic as Th’ Dudes did back in 1980 with their pub-rock anthem Bliss. “You better get some of the boogie, before it’s gone, you better get some of the boogie, it won’t last long”
Old Friends is where this EP slows down a touch and gets downright filthy. Magic Factory channels the influences here with Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac from 1968. The cowbell has come out to play, while the boogie remains strong yet sultry.
Rent or Drugs is a glorious country ballad destined to be a crowd favourite singalong. The lyrics are short and sweet but the effect and purpose are executed wonderfully. The song gets more rowdy as it goes along, bringing the boogie back up to its final track Long Legged Buzz. A fitting end to a fantastic new release.
The EP artwork done by bassist M.F. Joyce is absolutely exquisite. A true collector’s item, if ever allowed to be put to physical release.
Albums to compliment Magic Factory’s Wild Times EP:
Twin Peaks – Down In Heaven – 2016
King Tuff – King Tuff – 2012
Cory Hanson – Western Cum – 2023
Related Acts:
About the author Mag Kirk-Davies
Hey, I’m Mag. Aspiring filmmaker turned gardener turned theatre projectionist… I’m also from Hokitika. I moved down a few years ago, leaving Auckland behind to pursue a quiet life and raise a family in the land of the long whitebait fritter. I only realised once I got here it might be tough getting to see live gigs living so far from the big city. I help run Hokitika’s Regent Theatre operations as the projectionist and had a realisation: I can bring the live acts to play at the venue. So it’s been an absolute lifetime highlight doing just that and putting this town on the touring map. I’ve been obsessed with multimedia my whole life. Listening to cassettes in my bedroom as a toddler. 10 for $10 movies at the local video rental on weekends. Getting hooked on record collecting as a broke student, and now I get to plan
