The Cobra & The Canary Imaginary Authors 2012

The pictures in the head have all already been mentioned here:

Sports cars from the 60s. The endlessly long asphalt strip of Route 66, which, shimmering with heat, cuts through the middle of the dusty desert. The rubber of the wheels that, after a cavalier start, lays a pattern across the road as a clear trail. Dry grass by the roadside, swirling in the gasoline-soaked exhaust fumes, which remain behind the quickly disappearing taillights. Inside, the driver strokes the light brown leather of his sports seats with a feeling of self-love. Towards the sun. The freedom is boundless.

All true. First of all many thanks to X57deadsoulx, my hero, who tirelessly introduces me to new fragrances and who kindly let me take care of the bottling of C&C. This was the trigger for me to take a closer look at the fragrances of the Imaginary Authors, a US-Indie fragrance house whose concept of combining exciting stories on paper with an olfactory journey in my head opened doors for me. Some more IA scents will be commented on by me in the near future - but at this point back to "The Cobra and The Canary", about which a lot has already been said. I can't contribute much new stuff and therefore I'll keep it short, but the Imaginary Authors really deserve every mention they get here.

The first olfactory encounter with "The Cobra & The Canary" makes me bounce back a bit, because for a few seconds a pungent chemical smell blasts through my nose directly into my cerebrum, where I first associate a leather cleaning spray, before it quickly turns out to be a rather fresh lemon. The above-mentioned and expected asphalt is still holding back for the time being, but soon the citrusy smell flows into the familiar smell of light (artificial) leather, and at this moment the Tom Ford "Tuscan Leather" actually comes to my mind. Only very briefly, because while the classic presents itself as a freshly opened shoebox from a fine Italian boutique, C&C turns out to be a defiant little rebel, with nothing like his freedom, where guys in leather jackets and women in petticoats cruise the highway longingly until the end of time. They are joined by road dust and sun-dried grass before the pimped-out sports car spits a light trail of oil on the tarmac and sets off on its next adventure. Here in this phase C&C reminds a bit of Guerlain's underrated "Cuir Intense".

"The Cobra and the Canary" has character, and no small amount of that. If you haven't been into unrestrained leather so far, you probably won't let the IA interpretation change your mind, although after a while the fragrance becomes softer and more pleasing. Even the faction who prefer their leather really dirty will be disappointed by the lack of consequence after a strong opening and will continue to fall back on Francesca Bianchi's "The Lover's Tale" or Dior's "Leather Oud". But if you appreciate a touch of everyday compatibility in your adventures and still don't want to serve as a smooth-ridden mainstreamer in the office or club, you should give C&C a chance at your next perfumery visit. The projection is very neat, so don't overdo the spraying, and if the scent at some point after 7 to 8 hours recedes close to the skin, it will stick here for quite a while, this yearning scent of freedom. Go for it!

Well done, Josh Meyer. May the stories you dreamed of continue to accompany us reliably through the grey everyday life in the future. Can't wait for the next adventure...