Aaron Lee Tasjan has always written from the margins, but Get Over It, Underdog finds him embracing that perspective with a renewed sense of purpose. After battling a creative drought that nearly silenced him altogether, Tasjan returns with one of the most personal records of his career. Rather than offering tidy resolutions, these songs celebrate the resilience of people who rarely get the spotlight, blending sharp observations, self-deprecating humor, and hard-earned optimism into an album that feels deeply human.
Musically, the record continues Tasjan’s effortless blend of Americana, heartland rock, power pop, and country soul. Opener “Science Friction” immediately sets the tone, pairing shimmering strings and steel guitar with an anxious meditation on technology’s growing influence over everyday life. Elsewhere, “Twilight Zone Blues” swaggers with a Tom Petty-like looseness, while the dreamy “Lydia’s Boots” turns admiration for fellow songwriter Lydia Loveless into an unexpectedly touching reflection on identity and self-expression. Throughout the album, Tasjan proves once again that he’s as comfortable delivering a memorable hook as he is slipping in a line that demands a second listen.
What makes Get Over It, Underdog particularly rewarding is its emotional honesty. “Ballad of an East Canton Lowlife” revisits Tasjan’s teenage years as an outsider with equal parts wit and vulnerability, while the Todd Snider co-write “The Real” distills the album’s central message into a rallying cry for authenticity in an increasingly performative world. Producer Mark Miller keeps the arrangements warm and organic, giving Tasjan’s guitar work and unmistakable voice plenty of room to breathe without ever overshadowing the songwriting.
If Get Over It, Underdog proves anything, it’s that Aaron Lee Tasjan’s greatest strength has never been fitting neatly into Americana’s expectations. He’s at his best when he embraces contradictions—funny and melancholy, polished and scrappy, introspective and infectious all at once. The result is a record that feels lived in rather than manufactured, reaffirming Tasjan’s place as one of the genre’s most thoughtful and consistently compelling songwriters. – Jason Felton