Flash Back Olfactive Studio 2013

I have liked Olfactive Studio so far; I own and appreciate the house and its concept, as well as the fragrances that have been released until now. How does the newcomer, the fifth fragrance from this house founded in 2011, perform?

"Flash Back" opens with a very beautiful, round, harmonious, dense note of rhubarb, grapefruit, and orange (the pyramid above is incorrect or incomplete; a correction has been submitted), initially with a fresh-bright-sour inclination more towards lemon, but shortly after it transitions into a deeper, fuller dark orange, no longer so citrusy bitter, but rather dark-fruity-juicy, with the characteristic sweet-sour note of rhubarb that is here very gently and finely integrated and does not play an unpleasantly prominent role (like, for example, in Mark Buxton's "Devil in Disguise" *shudder*). Equally round, harmonious, and perfectly integrated, pink pepper initially joins softly, then a bit more confidently, to give the fragrance spice, breadth, and aromatic depth, while in the upper registers a green-bitter-sour apple note of Granny Smith slightly enhances the bright citrus tones into the fruity realm - somewhat similar to the "Creed effect," for example, in "Aventus," but of significantly higher quality, harmoniously integrated, and more restrained. The development arc of the fragrance is rather slow, continuous, and harmonious, moving gently and steadily towards the base with seamlessly following green vetiver and softly woody cedar, along with amber and musk.

The idea that the rhubarb note is supposed to evoke the name-giving "Flashback" to childhood memories because it reminds one of rhubarb pie I consider to be outright silly marketing nonsense. I also personally cannot establish a connection with the pixelated image underlying this fragrance or the digitally edited video by Laurent Segretier, but perhaps I am simply anosmic to images, as I was rather helpless with the previous fragrances as well ;-)

The previous fragrances were not exactly wonders of originality or unprecedented combinations, but rather relied on more familiar accords and concepts. "Flash Back" is neither new nor spectacular in this regard. However, I really like the fragrance, as Olivier Cresp manages to strike a balance between a contemporary citrus-fresh construction with fruity notes on one hand and a very high-quality, complex round-harmonious execution with a dense and very natural texture on the other. Again, nothing fundamentally new, but executed in an extremely appealing and elegant way in the details, while at all times, despite its elegance, it is by no means watery or flat, but rather present, perceptible, and confident.

For me, another great fragrance from this house that I will very much enjoy wearing in the upcoming warmer months (along with "Still Life")!