D.S. and Durga Rockaway Beach (David Seth Moltz) 2020+ LIMITED EDITION 2023 Giveaway

 

D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach

D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach courtesy the brand

It is the start of summer (Northern Hemisphere) and there’s no time like the present to update your fragrance wardrobe to reflect the seasonal change. Put away dark and mysterious; it’s time to for light and bright.

Rockaway beach 70s

Rockaway Beach 1970s via wiki

Rockaway Beach, located in Queens (NY), is a broad, sandy beach with a 6-mile-long boardwalk that attracts crowds in the summer for swimming, sunbathing, and sports like volleyball and skateboarding. Surfers catch year-round breaks here. The pastel-colored condos and houses that line the streets throw off a 1960s-style vibe.

The Ramones Rocket to Russia album cover via wiki

The Ramones released ‘Rockaway Beach’ from their third album, Rocket to Russia in 1977. The song is a homage to the West Coast surf culture and was the Ramones’ highest-charting single of their career, peaking at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Up on the roof, out on the street
Down in the playground, the hot concrete
Bus ride is too slow
They blast out the disco on the radio

Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Notables born in Rockaway Beach include punk rocker-poet Patti Smith, Andrew Van Wyngarden (MGMT), and Kenny Vance (Jay and the Americans). Patti Smith wrote about living in Rockaway Beach in her 2015 memoir, M Train. Woody Allen filmed Radio Days (1987) here.

 

Kavi and David Seth Moltz of D.S. & Durga

Kavi and David Seth Moltz, Founders of D.S. & Durga

Music has always been a big part of D.S.& Durgas’ DNA. A Spotify Playlist of over fifty songs testifies to that. David has curated a Spotify playlist specifically for Rockaway Beach.  Summer songs like summer fragrances can be enjoyed year-round but they really click best in the season.Don’t expect any Beach Boys. But where are the Cramps, David? Now let’s get to D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach the perfume, composed by David Seth Moltz. As you can imagine this is an aquatic one. Let me come straight out and say it, I’m not a fan of aquatic fragrances which is odd since I am a Pisces, go figure. Why you ask? Because many smells like sun tan lotion =inexpensive. If you want to smell like sun tan lotion wear sun tan lotion! It’s cheaper. For me,while they never offend, they are unlikely to wow either.  Unlike Jazmin Yucatan, where the aquatic is hidden in the jungle, this is D.S. & Durga’s first full-on Aquatic (to me it’s more Marine, but more on that later).

D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach speaks to the quality of the compositions. Not one for safe, his scents make you think and react, and this one certainly does, and not always in a good way. Polarizing scent. And that’s the way it should be. And don’t expect that phony suntan lotion that other hoist. Here it is muted because punks don’t smell like poseurs.

We are not in St. Tropez or St. Barts. No clear and blue ocean water here. This is dark, dirty, and dangerous. You just don’t know what’s next to you. Rockaway Beach is no seaside vacation. The Ramones don’t sing about that nor does David Seth Moltz’s fragrance take you to a fancy beach resort. Don’t let your guard down. This is a kick in the ass stay alert scent.

What’s causing that you might ask? It could be the salt flowering privet. Or maybe the lactonic note that verges on being spoiled? The sea salt hits as it feels on an open wound. And while the white floral lurks about it does not pretty it up. Same with the musk, the dangerous ocean overtakes it. More sea salt.

Rockaway Beach is certainly more marine than aquatic. What’s the difference you may ask? Aquatic is freshwater, marine is sea. Rockaway Beach is not for the faint of heart, but it dares you to wear it. So how wearable is it? Are you a punk or…?

TOP NOTES Ocean air sun tan lotion; HEART NOTES salt flowering privet; BASE NOTES skin musk hedges

Main accords: marine, white floral, aromatic, salty, coconut, lactonic, aquatic, musky, fresh, spicy

Disclaimer: Samples of Rockaway Beach were sent to me by D.S. & Durga. My opinions are mine and only mine!

D.S. & DURGA LOS ANGELES STORE

D.S. & Durga Los Angeles Store on Abbot Kinney Boulevard (courtesy of the brand)

Announcement: D.S. and Durga have just opened their first LA store in Venice Beach and the first outside of NYC. Surf Up! Congrats David and Kavi! I’ll be out there this summer.

Hernando Courtright, Senior Events Contributor and Brand Ambassador

D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach

D.S. & Durga Rockaway Beach

Thanks to the generosity of D.S.& Durga we have a 50 ml/ 1.7 fl oz. of Rockaway Beach for a USA draw for one registered reader. You must register here. To be eligible please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s review of D.S. and Durga Rockaway Beach. The draw closes on 06/26/2023 and the winner will be announced within 10 days later.

Please read  David Seth Moltz’s profile in American Perfumery here and WE LOVE THIS STORE D.S. & Durga on 255 Mulberry Street here

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial @CourtrightMgmt @dsanddurga

This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy

We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like Çafleurebon and use our blog feed… or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

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24 comments

  • johnmadison says:

    Thank you for the great review, Hernando!
    I cannot even begin to express how much I have been wanting to get my nose on D.S. & Durga’s Rockaway Beach since it was recently released. I love realistic fragrances that try to capture the true essence of a place and time. And boy do I love the note of marine sea salt in fragrance. Blended with white florals, skin musk, and ocean air I can only imagine that this fragrance would transport me to being submerged in the waters of the Atlantic then sitting on the sandy short of Rockaway Beach while the sun dries the salty waters of the Sargasso Sea upon my sun-tanned skin.
    Ahhh!! I would SO love to get my hands on this one!
    Perfumes like these get me very excited 🙂
    John from Minnesota, USA

  • Ken White says:

    It’s a cool story and tie in with the Ramones and the town. The scent sounds interesting as well and I’d love to try it. New Jersey, USA

  • Arron_Q says:

    Like Hernando, I am not typically fond of aquatic scents as they often just smell like shower gel, cheap handsoap, or suntan lotion. Rockaway Beach, in true punk fashion, seems to go against the norm, bucking tends to provide a very different take on the aquatic.marine genre. I love salty fragrances so I’m excited to see how it is used here. I imagine with the right combination of white florals, it could get quite skanky. Bring it on! I live in NC, USA.

  • Kelsey H says:

    Oh man. Hernando hit it out of the park with this one. As a once young hellion in love with all the punk-rock skate-rat boys, I remember the first time I heard the Ramones and thus dreamed of being Riff Randell from Rock ‘n’ Roll high school. A lover of D.S.& Durga already, and a deep admirer of the languages spoken and shared between music and perfumery, this sounds so intriguing. Hernando paints a visceral picture inviting a lot of wonder. There’s one perfume in my arsenal that completely encapsulates a time of grit, riot and punk aptly named after an infamous SF live music dive bar. It would only be fitting and wonderful to add an East Coast player to my mix.

    Cheers,
    Kelsey from California

  • Caliwas says:

    What you enjoyed about Hernando’s review of D.S. and Durga Rockaway Beach is the honest details of of the scent. It’s not for the faint of heart as it is more marine than aquatic. Thanks for the opportunity. Greetings from the USA.

  • mdellaroc says:

    Sounds like this scent falls well into the DS and Durga catalog, being unusual, and possibly unwearable for many. Maybe I was never quite as punk as I thought after all. In maryland.

  • soviz says:

    I love a dirty, sweaty marine/ocean scent, and being a New Yorker, the fact that this one is dedicated to Rockaway Beach makes it even more special! I appreciated Hernando’s historical overview of the role Rockaway Beach has played in music, film, and culture, and the way the fragrance pays homage to its punk side. I’d love to win this one! From New York, USA

  • James Okpare says:

    What stood out to you in Hernando’s review of D.S. and Durga Rockaway Beach is the genuine attention to detail regarding the scent. It’s not a fragrance for those seeking a delicate experience, as it leans more towards a marine essence rather than a purely aquatic one.

  • ianbradleyandrews says:

    What a nice review. The ocean salt and musks sound incredible. I’d love to win. I live in Indiana.

  • Steve A says:

    I enjoyed remembering the song and Rockaway Beach itself. I would have thought the song a homage to the East Coast rather than the West Coast surf culture though. US

  • castlemicro says:

    Hello from Florida, and thank you to Hernando for the review! I love salty aquatics, and this one sounds very unique, with its darker tone and notes of privet and hedge. Would appreciate the chance to give it a try.

  • Germaine says:

    Thx Hernando, I appreciate you coming out and flatly stating your feelings toward the specific fragrance genre. More times than not I pick my daily scent on an artistic interpretation or my mood and not on what smells good to the masses.

    Gilbert AZ

  • Annika says:

    So is this a fragrance a Ramone would wear? I’ve always wanted to try a gritty aquatic fragrance; dark, dirty and dangerous. This sounds like a real ocean fragrance with the salt and vegetation well represented. Just a gentle correction on Patti Smith. She has lived in Rockaway Beach and still may live there now but her youth was spent in South Jersey and according to Wikipedia she was born in Chicago. I’m in the US

  • Johnmc5000 says:

    I love DS and Durga as a house.
    Love their punk rock ethos and the Playlist that accompanies each fragrance.
    Love the Ramones.
    Winning this giveaway would be the closest I will ever come to Rockaway Beach.
    Would love to hitch a ride with this one.
    Oklahoma USA

  • Wilson Chin says:

    I love the idea of an edgy beach scent! I live in NYC, so I know all the aspects of Rockaway Beach. Can’t wait to smell what this is like!

  • rmsssss says:

    I love photorealistic fragrances and appreciate that Rockaway Beach is “marine” (as opposed to aquatic). I loved sniffing it in store and would be grateful for the opportunity to own a bottle! I’m in MN, USA.

  • mmerline says:

    Challenging marine and aquatic fragrances are always interesting—even if they’re not always my jam—and I love the Ramones theme on this one. (I agree with Hernando—give me more than just the smell of suntan lotion.) I think the lactonic element is the most unexpected part of Rockaway Beach; I wonder if it’s inspired by soft serve ice cream on the boardwalk. I’d love to try this and experience how this unusual mix of accords fits together, and how they progress after a few hours of wear. Cool review Hernando!

    I’m in the midwest, USA. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • foreverscents says:

    I love the way D.S.& Durga fragrances evoke a sense of place. My favorite from the house is Cowboy Grass. I am transported to the high plains and grasslands with that masterpiece. I love Rockaway Beach. I love the Ramones and Patti Smith (I love the way she writes about–and photographs–her Rockaway house in her books and on IG). I am not a big fan of marine or aquatic fragrances, despite loving the beach and the ocean. But I am intrigued from Hernando’s review. It sounds a bit dangerous, like how an urban beach can be.
    I live in the USA.

  • Torax says:

    Fantastic review by Hernando.
    D.S. & Durga makes fantastic fragrances that are truly gems. Rockaway beach is something I really need to try. I am a huge fan of aquatic and marine fragrances and knowing the quality the brand delivers, it makes me more excited to try this one. I hope I get my nose on it soon.
    USA here.

  • akb says:

    I love the weirder stuff in DS & Durga’s catalogue (Pale Grey Mountain Small Black Lake form the HYLNDS collection was the first perfume I fell truly in love with). I have wanted to try Rockaway Beach for a while, but their limited editions are so hard to get a sample of! I really, really love off-kilter aquatics and marine scents, I have some special memories of Rockaway Beach from the summer I was 30, and as a fellow Pisces (Hi Hernando!) a punk marine scent sounds just about perfect. I’m in NY, USA.

  • TravisO says:

    Great review Hernando. Summer is the best time of the year and this sounds way better than sun tan lotion. Even the prices of sun tan lotion have gone up so may as well rock Rockaway Beach.

  • Cuttyj77 says:

    Great review! This sounds intriguing, and I tend to like/enjoy fragrances that are not for the faint of heart. Thank you for the draw, NY, US

  • Michael Prince says:

    What I enjoyed about Hernando’s review of D.S. and Durga Rockaway Beach is learning more about the inspiration behind this fragrance being The Ramones and their highest charting hit Rockaway Beach. The song along with the lyrics convey being on the beach so it has aquatic and ozonic touches. Hernando is right it’s time to move away from the warm and comforting fragrances and transition to the citrus and aquatic fragrances. I am from the USA.

  • tplacido says:

    Hernando’s review oreally highlights its unique and daring nature. Capturing the vibrant atmosphere of 1970s Rockaway Beach, it sounds like it defies traditional aquatic scents and embraces a gritty character. Aquatic fragrance arent as popular amongst women but im a shameless lover of them. Would love to try here in St pete FL