Grev
Slumberhouse (2009)

Suddenly, I've realised, that I'm starting to appreciate Grev more with every wearing.

At first it smelled to me like a typical fougere from the 80's or even from 70's but man.. Grev has got so much more to it. Mint, (oak)moss, lavender (maybe?) and there's hell more lot to it. Keeps you entertained for sure, while you're wearing it.

First things first - it's got absolutely outstanding and lovely note of clove. At times it's being dominant, at times it's blended perfectly into the other notes. Personally - I prefer moments when it takes control, because I absolutely love clove as a note. It's also got a lot of oakmoss and some woods to make the scent round and complete.

It's not totally bold and challenging as, let's say Jeke or Sadanne, but it's not gonna be everyone's cup of tea.

It can be worn almost year round - probably best season is spring, but I absolutely love its smell in the high heat and humidity. That cooling factor and clove note are absolutely to die for.

Now I'm regretting a bit I didn't pull the trigger right when it was re-released in 2022.

I get mostly a mix of fir and cloves set on top of a vinegary background that has an odd sticky sweet effect at the same time....i can vaguely see the references made to a wintry barbershop...to me , interesting , but not wearable...

Mint, eucalyptus, cloves and fir balsams...Grev combines these elements to create an original and bracing modern reinterpretation of the classic barbershop fougere. Its crisp, cooling familiarity is juxtaposed against Slumberhouse's quirky, signature style to create something altogether unique and genuinely fun to wear. There's no reason to further explain WHAT this actually smells like. As is the case with any Slumberhouse release, it needs to be sniffed to be understood. Recommended for sampling, and a blind buy for any die-hard 'Slumberhead.' Thumbs up. Final rating: 8/10

Grev has more of an unsweetened chai smell compared to the sweeter Sova. The clove note is nice, a soft clove.

Of the three Slumberhouse fragrances I've tried, this is my third favorite after Baque and Sova. I might have liked Baque a little more than Sova. Baque did become a little generic and/or one-dimensional in the base, whereas Sova kept up a more linear foodie smell into the base, but Baque smelled a little more ambitious in the opening and early development.

Grev doesn't have the warmth of those two, and it's less inviting in its coolness, but not altogether unapproachable.

The development isn't great. The opening holds some hopeful promise, but before a couple hours are up, it has lost its way and smells overly sharp and a little harsh.

Reading some of the previous reviews here, thought I knew what to expect from Grev: basically a modern forest scent with clove, a Norne lite. There are forest references in Grev (an obvious fir note in the opening), but my overall impression is decidedly angular, abstract, futuristic almost, full of bright, cold, refracted light.

There's a good helping of bitter green booziness with a lightly sweet undertone. I think of an alpine bitter, like an icy Fernet-Branca: chewy, bitter, leafy, minty spice combined with something like wet clay.

Clove is an important note in Grev...but its a deconstructed, weightless, cryogenically frozen clove that has somehow been filtered and inverted to feel "blue" and airy. It ends up lending more of a fizzy, sparkly zest than the traditional warmth you think of with clove. This is some fascinating stuff.

I can't say I get much of a barbershop fougere tone here...maybe a barber in a wintery holodeck scene on the Starship Enterprise (nerd alert). I do smell a good dose of the cold dustiness of a slightly metallic orris note with a hint of smooth sandalwood, which becomes more dominant as the base arrives, and lends a certain degree of soft, chilly, airy powderiness. It may also be responsible for the earlier "clay".

This would be fantastic on a frigid, snowy day, but it's fairly versatile for any season or occasion.

Genre: Defying

Grev is of interest to me mostly insofar as it is completely different from the accustomed dense, syrupy Slumberhouse style. Grev is as bright, metallic, and hard-edged as scents like Baque, Vikt, and Ore are dark and viscous. There are facets to Grev that appear saline, camphoraceous, and sharply vegetal, yet I would not describe the overall effect as aquatic, green, or woody. What does stand out to me, and frankly makes the scent unwearable in my estimation, is a powerful, almost caustic, vinegar note, which some have described evocatively (and accurately) as “pickle juice.” An curious fragrance, all-in-all, but not something I want to smell on my own person.