The Cobra and the Canary
Imaginary Authors (2012)

This is one of the more linear fragrances from Imaginary Authors, but it is no less interesting for it. As of March 2026, it is newly discontinued.

With The Cobra and the Canary, I get mostly smokey, rubbery leather. The leather is not the rough variety, but is suede-like and accompanied by a Bulgari Black-like rubber accord. The general impression I get is less asphalt and more Goodyear tires mixed with a new car interior smell. The tobacco flower adds just a touch of sweetness and the orris helps smooth the composition.

Overall, The Cobra and the Canary is a somewhat uncomplicated fragrance. I don’t find it challenging (in fact, it is a breeze to wear), but I would wager there aren’t many who will find it enjoyable. That is to say, it wears a bit more like a novelty (something one might wear with a costume, for instance) and less like a personal fragrance one wears to garner (positive) attention. It’s not the most versatile fragrance.

Projection is average, but that’s just fine; I would like it less as a loud fragrance. At $115 for 50ml (and probably soon to be more on all the resale sites now that it is discontinued), I’d say you can safely pass. That said, I can’t think of a reasonably priced alternative given that the aforementioned Bulgari Black is also discontinued and similarly-styled, once-cheapies from John Varvatos (Dark Rebel and Dark Rebel Rider) are also fetching silly prices.

Neutral.

A scent that resembles an uplifting tart and dry citrus against a tar-like backdrop.

Where asphalt is usually irritating, harsh, and pungent, here it provides an unusually attractive (stark contrast) and compliment to the citrus. Been 4 years since I’ve worn this. Trying to reach for scents that have been unjustifiably collecting dust.

For several years when my brother and I were growing up, our father's main mode of transportation was a Harley Davidson motorcycle that he'd spent countless hours customizing. He rode that bike in full leathers, even in the summer, and my initial impression of this perfume once the lemon note fizzed out was that it smelled exactly like my dad when he came home at night, wafting leather and sweat and motor oil and gasoline exhaust as he leaned down to plant kisses on top of our heads while we were doing our homework.

It was a comforting smell, one that I came to associate with all things dad—the love of the open road and of tinkering with all manner of machines. But this quickly becomes an assault , a nose-searing, headache-and-nausea-inducing mess, especially if you over apply. Then it's too horrible even to wait for the dry down, which I hear is supposed to be a swirl of florals against soft leathers. Good for those who get that. Me? Never in my life have I wanted something to disappear from my skin this badly.

From a sample:

Maybe it was subliminal programming from the title, but my first impression was imagery of 'snake-like' leather mixed with an accord of 'feathers'. Not the outdoors feather found on the ground hint, and not of a caged bird's perch above their bathroom, but more of what I imagine Tweety Bird smells like.

After typing this out it seems rather outlandish, but this is the image that I perceived for the initial 15 minutes. Transitions were smooth & rather unnoticeable, but kept the theme moving along.

Projection is rather strong, and sneaky, so I would assume 1-2 sprays from a full size bottle are ample. Longevity was average to good.

My wife enjoyed the smell of the nozzle, but was repulsed from the scent trail, so this is definitely a 'try before you buy' type of scent. But to my nose, this seems rather pleasant & relaxing so there is a wide range of frequency this fragrance plays on.

This is my favorite from Imaginary Authors. Kinda smoky oud suede. Really early i felt there was a bit of a gourmandy sweet note mixed in that i wasnt quite digging, but that died about an hour in. For some reason it reminds me of dusty old books.

Leather and lemon. Interesting and unusual combination, I will give it that. The lemon is not the bright and fizzy citrus, but more of a subdued one, close to a furniture polish lemon. Leather is soft and isn't that pronounced and as time goes on I definitely get the smell of tobacco and almost damp hay. Definitely an interesting scent and I agree with landshark321 that this is clearly something different than the normal scents out there and at the price point is something worth a go to try.