Take Me To The River

I love the whimsical story behind this, as with all 4160 lore, but I don’t personally make the connection. I find that 4160 perfumes and the most non-linear ones I own and this one takes us on a typically meandering route. For me, it kicks off with a big waxy honey beeswax punch, then the rose and spices start to come through after a few minutes. This stage is quite creamy and aromatic. Then it calms down to a leathery honey - sweet, herbal, perhaps a bit alcoholic? There’s something almost menthol in there. It’s not one I would jump at if I smelled the nozzle in a store, probably because it wouldn’t tell the whole story. However, it’s a very satisfying perfume to wear and I enjoy it very much.

Opens on a slightly boozy note, and quickly fades into being very creamy and malty. Dare I say oaty? Stays creamy and gains a hay like, leafy quality. Very barn like. Turns slightly more tobacco-spicy, then gains more of a waxy quality before fading away entirely. There's some rose notes, if you squint. What I assume is the beeswax makes this a very very creamy scent, but the creaminess is just as loud as the leafy aspect, which is what creates this malty oat quality. I suppose there's rose here? I can believe it, but it's not very detectable. Not a romantic gothy rosy wine scent at all. The leafy spicy tobacco aspect stays very light and fair. Gives a strong hay impression, which is what makes me think of a barn. Never truly leathery to my disappointment, but I seem to always have a hard time picking up leather notes. To my nose, it doesn't conjure images of night club romances whatsoever. To me it gives more of an impression of a comforting farm house. Or maybe a cat's fur. I can definitely see the worn sofa imagery, and I can definitely picture it as a sofa that probably saw some unspeakable things in the 80s and hasn't been washed since, but it's not really the erotic beast it's marketed as to my nose. There's definitely something sensual about it, but it's less jazz club basement and more long-disbanded polyamorous hippie commune. It's way more comforting than erotic to me, way more unrenovated cozy farm house than ill advised bar romance. The erotic nature feels more... nostalgic. Like remembering your wild youth rather than living it. Not the dark, leathery, seductive scent it promised to be for me. (Pirate Queen went way more in that direction, I recommend that over this if you want an unapologetic, dark, dirty, sexy scent.) I do love it despite my mismatching interpretations of the description. It's more like sitting on a hay bale on a hot August eveing wishing you'd been badder in your teenage years than thrilling jazz club romance. It's like the smell of letting nostalgia rewrite your bad memories into good ones and thinking "Well... the worst times in my life DID have a certain je ne sais quoi..." Unfortunately, I do have something negative to add. The longevity is non existent. Lasted on me for only about 3 to 4 hours. Not good for something at this price point! Out of all the samples I tried this was the worst for longevity. Sad because it's beautiful otherwise. (Pirate Queen also did way better for longevity, achieving a full 24 hours.)

This smells dirty in a good way. Many of 4160 Tuesday's perfumes tell a story and Take Me To The River really does evoke a bar with live music, a battered leather jacket and one more drink than was good for you. Fragrantica's Main Accords bar chart is somewhat puzzling: I don't detect anything sweet in this and sweet notes aren't mentioned in the quote from the 4160 Tuesday's site either. For me, the most prominent accord is animalic. However, honey does seem to find it's way into a number of Sarah McCarney's creations, so perhaps it is well back in the mix, exerting a subtle influence. I wouldn't wear this to the office unless I was deliberately playing it against a prim dress or formal suit. Take Me to the River is intriguing. When I wear it, I have to keep taking little sniffs from my wrist. There are so many perfumes in existence, it is rare to come across one so idiosyncratic. It is genuinely original. I suspect it is quite divisive - for every person who demands to know what you are wearing so they can get their own, there will be someone who takes a step away from you. You have to try it!