One thing I'll give The Cobra and the Canary credit for is that when you smell it, you'll be able to detect most of the notes listed in its pyramid immediately. A very clear hay note and leather note sit right up front. Leather is one note I usually have trouble identifying, but I find the leather in this very true-to-life. it's not the leather of an expensive, designer jacket or pair of shoes, but something a little more rugged and worn. Next to it sits the hay, dry and aromatic, summer in a barn. Keeping in tune with the hay note, comes the tobacco--also dry, leafy, and fresh--the tobacco of unsmoked cigars and plantations, not pipes. These 3 notes work well together, and while they don't necessarily offer contrast or interplay, they create a certain warm, pastoral atmosphere that's comfortable and without disturbance. There's also a mineralic edge to the entire composition, which suits it fine, and stays in line with the drier, natural quality of the fragrance.
I smell The Cobra and the Canary and I envision a barn in the summer, on a farm where tobacco's grown, with maybe some mountains in the background, or a stream passing through (this accounts for the leather, hay, tobacco and minerals). Reading about it, I see the perfumer envisioned a young man driving a Shelby Cobra (the leather and mineral...asphalt) smoking a cigarette, after picking up his friend from the family farm (the hay). Either story fits, and what you imagine when you smell this could be something entirely different. But you will pick up on the 4 main notes listed in the pyramid. They're distinct and presented well, if not a little obviously.
I enjoyed this one and found it a pleasant, easy-going wear. Imaginary Authors succeeded in creating a very relaxed, personable fragrance. I'd have no problem throwing it on and heading out the door for an evening with friends. Thumbs up.
P.S. For a darker, more challenging take on hay and tobacco, you may want to look toward Sova by Slumberhouse. And for a more complex, chic, and modern take on hay and leather, there's Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Heeley. All 3 are great options and it will really come down to what you're looking for at the moment.
