Big Machine Records singer-songwriter Chase McDaniel strikes a deep emotional chord with the official music video for his latest release, “Lost Ones.” It also serves as the soul-searching title track of the Kentucky-bred artist’s autobiographical debut album, Lost Ones, out now.
Helmed by director and repeat collaborator Robby Stevens, the cinematic visual tells a raw, relatable, and all too real story. After losing his brother to depression, the main character quickly begins to lose himself. Left with only a suicide note and his brother’s lighter, he can’t get the light to ignite no matter how hard he tries, while drowning his pain in alcohol. In between, McDaniel performs in the clearing of a forest illuminated by flickering and flashing lamps. The intensity of his countenance throws off just as much heat in its way. The clip threads together footage of fellow “Lost Ones” who’ve scrawled their respective struggles on paper like “Lost, Broken, + Addicted,” “Attempted Suicide,” and “Cheated on, Left, + Divorced by 26.” Dawn breaks by the end, and we hear McDaniel ask, “Hey man, you need a light?” Catching fire finally, McDaniel reminds, “Sometimes, all you need is a little spark.” After displaying the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a heartfelt message appears on the screen, “Lost one, you are not alone.”
Lost Ones is a body of work born from McDaniel’s mission of bringing strength to anyone who feels hopeless or adrift. With every track co-written by McDaniel, the album shares the most painful aspects of his personal story, including his struggle with depression and the life-altering experience of losing his father to addiction. Produced by Lindsay Rimes and recorded with a first-rate lineup of musicians at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, Lost Ones merges that bravely honest storytelling with McDaniel’s gritty and exhilarating form of country-rock, ultimately providing a powerful catharsis even in its most devastating moments.
Fueled by his soulful vocal work previously shown on hit songs like “Project” (a 2022 release that shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart), Lost Ones reaches a particularly gripping intensity in its title track. With its haunting piano riff, waltz-like tempo, and spellbinding steel guitar, the Lindsay Rimes-produced “Lost Ones” unfolds with a hypnotic urgency as McDaniel opens up about the very phenomenon that inspired the entire album: the deeply affecting experience of connecting with fans who’ve found solace in the unfiltered truth of his songwriting (“They come outta nowhere from all around / From big city streets to them county road towns / Broken and hopeless, hoping to be found / Hurtin’ so loud but they don’t make a sound / All showing up with their broken wings / Praying their misery meets company”). Co-written by McDaniel, Chris LaCorte, and Josh Miller, “Lost Ones” ultimately finds McDaniel delivering a bit of hard-won wisdom and much-needed guidance: “Ain’t what you wanna hear, but hell, since you’re here, let me tell you that pain’s got purpose / Tell me who you’re gonna reach if you ain’t been through nothing / Take the pain and overcome it, turn it into something.”
With album tracks “Heart Still Works” and “Made It This Far” initially dropped as solo releases in 2024, McDaniel rolled out back-to-back songs from Lost Ones earlier this year. In February, he offered a potent insight into the emotional landscape of the full-length project with “Burned Down Heaven.” A true-to-life reflection on the overwhelming sorrow that follows hurting someone you love, the debut single landed him in the Top 3 most added at country radio for the first time.
