Reviews – Byredo

Byredo – Slow Dance – Back to the future 7/10

Slow Dance was one of my favourite new releases of 2019. I continue to enjoy wearing it well into this mixed up crazy year of 2020. I must admit I didn’t have high hopes for it, because I haven’t taken to many Byredo scents, as I’ve found they all dry down to a similar, rather nondescript base that I find boring and bland. Slowdance isn’t linear and is noteworthy for its structure, and features a clearly defined, top, middle, and base. Something we don’t see a lot of these days.

The inspiration behind it:

“The slow dance: A rites-of-passage moment for both girls and boys before they metamorphose into women and men. A feeling of exhilaration tempered by awkwardness, a heady collision of innocence and experience, not knowing and knowing, felt across countries, cultures and time. Slow Dance mixes ideas of the feminine and masculine, bitter and sweet, in a rich, intoxicating distillation redolent of warm skin and breathless exchange. Here (high school) clichés mingle and become something more; at once familiar and iconoclastic, the ancient perfumer’s arsenal is made modern and anew.” Note from the brand.

Slowdance bursts out of the blocks with an opoponax note that gives the composition a sweet, balsamic, honeyed opening. There’s a fruity grape-like touch provided by a cognac note at the outset also. It verges on candied fruit. The opening of Slow Dance is one of the better openings I’ve experienced in a Byredo. There’s perhaps, even a touch of hairspray about it, evoking the inspiration of high school dances and the innocence of youth.

Slowdance transitions into a powdery violet/sweet amber mid section, the scent gives off a more mature vibe as it progresses along the hours. It feels resinous, balsamic and cosy. Slow Dance eventually settles into a sophisticated, smoky vanilla, patchouli base. Very impressive.

The main notes to my nose are the opoponax, which remains throughout, the vanilla, and the patchouli. It’s quite a sweet, sticky scent, especially in the first hour or so, and this might be challenging for some, but I think the sweetness is balanced out well enough as the mid and base notes begin to develop and take hold. There’s a nostalgic feel to the scent, and as I write this review, I’m wearing it while watching one of my favourite movies of all time, Back To The Future, which happens to have one of my favourite scenes of all time. The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance where Marty McFly’s parent’s slow dance and fall in love. How’s that for synergy? Slow Dance is perfectly unisex.

Quick Notes:

Launch Year: 2019.

Perfumer: Jerome Epinette

Top notes: Opoponax, cognac.

Heart notes: Violet, labdanum, geranium.

Base notes: Vanilla, incense, patchouli.

Longevity: 10-12 hours maximum.

Projection: 2-4 hours moderate.

Season: Winter.

Price: 50ml EdP, $226 AUD. 100ml, $332 AUD.

Alternatives: YSL Tuxedo, Parfums de Marly Layton, Nobile 1942 Cafe Chantant.

Have you tried Slow Dance? Do you have a favourite from Byredo?