New alt hip hop group Impossible Object draws from the palette of love
Photos by Charlie Weinmann
Impossible Object is an alternative hip hop group based in Southern California. Formed in 2020, the band is led by central coast MC/Producer Risko Loughman, supported by Seamus, David and Aidan Blackwell.
After the dissolution of their previous project CANTO, brothers Seamus, David and Aidan Blackwell teamed up with cousin and longtime musical collaborator Rick Loughman (Wordsauce) for a writing and recording session that soon morphed into a process that would span almost two years. It was during these sessions that Impossible Object developed their signature sound of immediate and accessible tunes draped in an ornate and experimental production style that combines influences across all eras of contemporary music.
"It was important to come out of the gate with a full album experience," says drummer and co-producer David Blackwell. "Not only just for the listener, but also for us. In a lot of ways, the album is us discovering and then experimenting with our identity as a band."
The results of these sessions make up their 10 track debut record, Off the Ground. Led by singles “Paintstrokes on the Roadway” and the title track “Off the Ground."
"We are painting with every color on the palette of love,” says Seamus Blackwell. “The goal was to create something that has the immediacy of a pop record while also pushing the boundaries of what we could do musically, sonically. We live to serve the mix.”
The band approached the songs collaboratively, incorporating a range of combined influences between the four of them.
On the process of making the record, Aidan Blackwell tells us that, "Opportunities to do something new and exciting constantly popped up and called out to us to follow them. If I ever had doubt that they were the right move, I'd defer to the other guys—their confidence brought me faith, which paid off."
