Pony Boy calls to mind a kelpie that haunts a lochside sauna, hissing out a steamed-wood and pink-edged sour lotus haze. Place reference is Loch an Dùin, Uist, Scotland. The impression notes are rhubarb, coriander seed, fig, pink grapefruit, champaca absolute, pink pepper and beetroot and fade notes of pink lotus absolute, vetiver, ambrette seed, Atlas cedarwood, raspberry leaf, red cedarwood and calamus. Pony Boy is an extrait de parfum.
JORUM STUDIO PONY BOY REVIEWS
Fragrantica: "The first time I smelled this, it conjured a specific memory of drinking raspberry lemonade on a porch during horseback riding summer camp in rural Pennsylvania. Five tween girls, five horses, and the mingled smells of fruity shampoo, human and horse sweat, hay, freshly mown grass, and tack leather varnish. The instructor’s house sat high on a hill. Its porch held enough rocking chairs for all of us to sit and chatter, squinting over the rolling green hills leading to the forest, overheated in our sticky riding pants and boots, anticipating the afternoon. Pony Boy feels like a “nature is metal” fragrance to me. Bright and refreshing, yet dark and momentous, like the privileged, simmering danger of putting your arms around a horse’s neck and feeling the rush of a gallop beneath you. The rhubarb and grapefruit notes are practically shouting, exceedingly bitter and powerful against vetiver and coriander, like a stiff, pithy cocktail or super tannic wine. Perfect for reveling in the severity of a hot day."
Fragrantica: "Per the brand’s inspiration for the perfume, a kelpie is a shapeshifting water spirit, usually appearing in the guise of a horse or a pony, that, like a sea siren, leads someone to a watery death. Pony Boy is as far from spiritual or animalic as it gets, and it has too much energy to be described as deathly. But first - holy rhubarb and coriander! The red and fruity stewed vegetable note of rhubarb in all of its red berry and citrusy glory - plus its more difficult side of cooked celery - is present in spades. The evocation of a rhubarb pie, a staple of where I grew up, is a bullseye hit by Pony Boy to the nearest millimeter. Coriander makes itself known in a big way with cool, woody, and citrusy herbs. The movement to the heart layer is almost indistinguishable, if it happens at all, but, if it does it is a very odd melange of pepper, red fruits and lemons, sweet oakwood, pond water, and a bit of whipped cream. At this point I’m asking myself, “wtf?” - to use a parlance more like the audience this is geared towards. I cannot make sense of it, but it works. However, it’s at this point where the super green and tart vetiver dry down with plenty of peppery iso e super shows a lot of overlap with Paradisi in that the exact same sourness carries throughout the life Pony Boy but is absent the petrichor accord present in Paradisi. (The vetiver also explains the cooked celery note at the top). Effectively then, from a creative standpoint, the “wtf” moment concludes with “ah, this is a perfume for those that don’t like the mushroom-y/petrichor accord of Paradisi.” And that is, basically, where Pony Boy stops. Due to McCall’s overtly-synthetic-heavy-morass style, which often leads to notes being ill-defined, you can essentially say that this is Paradisi minus the petrichor; without the other materials that were present in Paradisi, Pony Boy’s materials speak a bit more clearly than they did in Paradisi. If the definitions of accords were better composed this could stand as a perfume on its own, but instead it stands as Paradisi minus one. That said, if the petrichor of Paradisi bothers(ed) you, then this is going to be more up your alley. It is still quite striking and worthy of attention, nonetheless."
Fragrantica: "So BRIGHT and BUBBLY and HAPPY! It smells like a perfect day - a happy memory from years past. I've never owned a grapefruit or rhubarb fragrance - I normally lean towards fig scents. But this was a nice surprise indeed. It's unique, while being quite simple. I got married in Scotland, so wore this scent at the events leading up to my wedding day, both because of the Scottish symbolism in the brand and the scent, and because the scent quite simply just makes you feel happy. It smells like first loves. I love Jorum Studio. I went to their shop in Edinburgh and they were so informative, and every one of their scents was unique. I also love the stories behind the scents, and I'm really eager to try more."
Fragrantica: "This is for grapefruit lovers. This is rind, pith, juice and seeds muddled and poured into a champagne cocktail. It’s sparkling but not overly sweet, the bitterness from leafy rhubarb and the grapefruit tame the sweetness. I enjoy this summer and winter. Winter it wears more crisp than sweet."
Fragrantica: "Pony Boy is a lovely rhubarb forward fragrance. For me it opens with tangy rhubarb/grapefruit with a figgy presence and develops into a rich floral and fruity blanket that hugs you with cedar and vetiver. It leaves no doubt that the beautiful lotus absolute and champaca absolute are the stars here. I love it! May not be a Fall/Winter fragrance unless you live in a temperate climate like I do; def a Spring into Summer fragrance. Makes sense since rhubarb is harvested then. I can see how some may feel it’s not a safe blind buy. Start with a small decant if you love its listed notes, I’m sure you’ll order a full bottle tout suite! It’s a gorgeous unisex winner. Oh, and pink ? is the perfect box color for this one, as would a fresh green."
Fragrantica: "So good and unique, the rhubarb and grapefruit are so fresh and tart they make your mouth water; there's an astringent, bitter quality which plunges into the earthy and spicy - beetroot, coriander and black pepper is a genius combination when paired with that puckering rhubarb and grapefruit. It's all tied together by the bright, rich sweetness of fig and flowers. It's like taking a deep breath of the tastiest air on earth. I just love this fragrance so much."
Fragrantica: "I love the stuff that jorum studios has been putting out in the last couple of years and pony boy is among the best from this house. While it is “sweet” to me I think the sweet smell almost replicates the aroma from opening a bottle champagne. It’s very sparkly but also dries into something foggy/humid. Very interesting can’t wait to rock this in the spring!"
Fragrantica: "This is one of those- the sun is bright and shining wake up in the morning somewhere in california put on a bright pink outfit throw your shades on and go kick some ass kind of fragrances. Screams Malibu to me. Rhubarb and grapefruit are the stars here and they are tart and loud. I get a little bit of the pink pepper and the cedar too. Non-linear fragrance which is nice."
Fragrantica: "This a bright fruity floral fragrance that will make you smile. Pony Boy opens with fresh sour rhubarb and realistic grapefruit - the tartness barely tempered with peppery spices. Aromatic woods, ambrette and vetiver are perfectly executed to balance the bright opening. Slightly sweet and floral in the heart. The drydown is beautiful. Quality- excellent. Unisex. Performance- excellent. Pony Boy is refreshing and fun. Rare to find such a happy fragrance. Tart on first spray but settles into something beautiful and definitely unique. 9/10"
Fragrantica: "Pony Boy opens with a sharp, bright fruity-floral chord, immediately followed by an intensely musky and sour wrongness. This is Maximum Rhubarb: so sour it'll pucker your mouth and curdle your skin. It's bright pink and fruity around the edges, but with a hot-breath or boiled-celery note at the center that definitely doesn't smell "fresh" (but is an authentic part of the Rhubarb Experience). A few minutes in, the funk passes and we just get a "pink grapefruit" kind of deal (i.e. punchy citrus and fruity pink rose.) It's exactly like being a tween girl in the Y2K era and it's a happy zone to hang out in. Then the rose warms and softens slightly; it's more mature now, and quite pleasant. And finally, at about two hours in, we're back to that musky, hazy, dust-gray rhubarb off-note, now more clearly legible as having been vetiver all along. This is a clever perfume. A hyper-realistic rhubarb that gradually falls apart into its components of citrus, fruity rose, and vetiver. It's even likable in parts! but definitely challenging. I'm pretty sure this is only going to appeal to people with large perfume collections; it's too much of a novelty for me to imagine it as anyone's "signature scent." Pony Boy is meant to evoke the kelpie, the legendary horse that lures the unwary to drown -- or, more prosaically, a twink at a sauna. Wacky, but yes, Pony Boy is indeed fruity, musky, and steamy. Because rhubarb."
Fragrantica: "This is a pretty special scent, and I honestly can't think of anything like it. Off the bat, that grapefruit really punches me in the face; it's not like grapefruit juice, but the bitter, slightly pungent rind and pith. With the coriander, cedar, and pink pepper, I almost get a medicinal quality—not sterile medicinal, but something like herbal medicine. It's definitely musky, too. If you told me this was a unisex scent straight out of the bottle, I would believe you. Though as it dries, I do get more of the florals and that slight gourmand sweetness from the fig, which naturally mellows everything out into something much softer. It almost reminds me of a less-sweet version of Imaginary Authors' Yesterday Haze after it dries, which makes sense with the fig and woody notes of that fragrance. You'd definitely smell this on your surf instructor or someone who gives yoga classes in the middle of a forest: fresh, punchy, and energetic, but with a strong undercurrent of earthiness. Too fresh for me, but this ought to be perfect for anyone who loves strong florals, citrus, or even aquatic scents."
Fragrantica: "One of the most delightful things I’ve sprayed on myself in recent memory. Pony Boy is weirdly wonderful, a mix of tangy citrus with fresh greens and a touch of powder, I get the spicy floral note too, can understand why some people pick up rose. All the notes are easy to imagine, only after reading about them here. Jorum is fast becoming my favorite experimental niche house, I have nothing in my almost 300 bottle collection that smells remotely similar. I love that it’s also super easy to wear."
