Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Sen Morimoto’s third album Diagnosis sees him flip the script. After releasing two albums – 2018 debut Cannonball! and a 2021 self-titled follow-up – via his own Sooper Records, the artist signed to City Slang to co-release his third album alongside Sooper, and it came at a time of fundamental change. With mental health discourse and artists’ trauma teetering between serving as positive forms of expression and becoming dangerous, exploitative selling points, the true and just recipient of your ire should be the systems themselves. Through writing introspectively on past albums, Morimoto set the groundwork to write Diagnosis from a different perspective. “I wanted to investigate those same questions, but outwardly towards the systems that govern us and to society at large,” he says. The 12 tracks here, recorded at Chicago’s Friends Of Friends studio with a few close collaborators, skip between funky, bright jazz-pop (‘Bad State’), intricate guitar-based tracks with a Radiohead feel (“What You Say”) and orchestral wonderlands “Forsythia (レンギョウの旋律)". Highlight “Pressure On The Pulse,” meanwhile, is a devastatingly intimate, quiet song that then explodes into an exuberant, animated whirlwind of sax and drums. A chameleonic figure at the album’s core, he can rip out a sax solo, dive deep into intimate singer-songwriter territory and lead massive, roaring alt-pop songs with equal aplomb. Morimoto describes his musical reference points for the album as “equal parts Funkadelic and Dinosaur Jr.,” and while these touchpoints can be heard all over the record, it doesn’t feel beholden to them, instead using their inspiration before moving beyond it.
Release date:
November 3, 2023
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner
Thoroughly clean and restore your vinyl records, removing dust, dirt, and grime from every groove without damaging the surface
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge
Features an elliptical stylus that accurately tracks the grooves of vinyl records, delivering a rich, detailed sound with an output voltage of 5.5 mV
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Eric Hilton L'Ocean feat. Natalia Clavier (Electric Blue)
Montserrat House
July 11, 2025 -
The Cranberries No Need To Argue
Island
August 15, 2025 -
Sofia Kourtesis Volver
Ninja Tune
August 1, 2025 -
The Banner Greying 2025 [2xLP]
Good Fight
July 4, 2025 -
Various Artists Clueless (Original Soundtrack)
Capitol
July 25, 2025 -
Feeder Comfort In Sound 2025 (Transparent Blue Curacao)
Bmg
September 12, 2025 -
Pool Kids Easier Said Than Done
Epitaph
September 26, 2025 -
Cate Le Bon Michelangelo Dying
Mexican Summer
September 26, 2025 -
Kokoroko Tuff Times Never Last
Brownswood Recordings
July 11, 2025 -
Jordan Lee Fighter For Love
Universal UK
July 11, 2025 -
Billy Joel The Nylon Curtain
Legacy Recordings
July 11, 2025 -
Belinda Carlisle Once Upon A Time In California (Sunset)
Demon / Edsel
August 29, 2025 -
Nuovo Testamento Trouble
Flatspot Records
July 25, 2025 -
Kathleen Edwards Billionaire
Dualtone Music Group
August 22, 2025