On The Record With: The Dead Bolts
Cherry Mac
August 23, 2026
Photographer: Cherry Mac
Chicago-based favorites, The Dead Bolts, have been on the road touring this year with their new single, “Skint”, and the continuing momentum of their 2025 album, Bèau Mondè. Founded in 2018, The Dead Bolts were thrust into the South Side bar scene, where they became no strangers to performing for crowds in the band's formative years. Now, with their debut EP released in 2021 and their sophomore album out in the world since January of last year, their experience playing live to Chicago communities is evident in their catalog. If you're after loud, gritty, unapologetically true-to-who-you-are, hard-to-put-in-a-box rock, The Dead Bolts are serving it up.
I had the opportunity to ask Eddie Hennessy, lead singer, about the band's influences and aspirations. He gives Lou insight into the world of touring, some of his favorite albums, and what the boys of The Dead Bolts get into when they have a day to themselves. He starts by giving me a look into the bands they’ve been listening to and the ups and downs of songwriting.
Photographer: Cherry Mac
Lou Magazine: You put out a new single this year, "Skint". What inspirations did you draw upon while writing and recording?
Eddie Hennessy:
“I think we drew quite a bit from 80s New Wave as well as a lot of Post Punk bands we've been listening to lately. There's so much great stuff coming out of the UK and Ireland specifically, and we're definitely tuned in. Naturally, from the 80s there's a lot of The Cure influence there, and other bands like the Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, The Clash, U2, The Police, etc. Right now we're loving Fontaines D.C. (have been for a while), and Idles, Shame, Yard Act, Wet Leg, and Gurriers. We're never going to sound exactly like these bands, but they influence our latest sound quite a bit.”
What do you find to be the easiest and most difficult parts of songwriting?
Hennessy:
“The easiest part is probably the riffing for us and coming up with a melody. We have (arguably) too many people playing guitar in the band, or at least that know how to play guitar, and there's a lot of opportunity to bring new melodies and ideas to the table.
The most difficult parts usually come into play when we're trying to piece it all together, and truly make it a polished arrangement. I'm paraphrasing, but Jeff Tweedy of Wilco said it best in one of his books I read a while back - it was something along the lines of songwriting being the best when the idea of the song is technically "limitless" right at the beginning. You have no idea where it's going to go, but it's exciting, because you have the idea, it sounds good, and you know it's got strong potential to be a great song. It becomes harder, or less fun really when you put the bow on the whole thing.”
What is a favorite lyric you've written?
Hennessy:
" ‘They took the best of what you love. Stripped it down and sold it. And it's never enough.’ "
In Lou tradition, I had to pose the one question we ask of everyone-
What are three albums everyone should listen to at least once in their lives?
Hennessy:
“Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones
Come Around Sundown - Kings of Leon
Drunk Tank Pink - Shame”
Do you remember the first album you bought? What was it?
Hennessy:
“American Idiot - Green Day
None of us are really Green Day fans, but it was just the hot pick of the time. Got it on CD to play on my portable CD player.”
Photographer: Cherry Mac
I had the pleasure of seeing The Dead Bolts perform in Charlotte, NC in July. The band played a seven-date string of shows from Louisville to New York City, and I was curious about how they see touring influencing their music.
Do you think touring has affected the band's sound and goals?
Hennessy:
“It definitely has, in a good way. It's broadened how we view ourselves as a band and what we believe we're capable of. The world becomes a lot larger, and a lot smaller at the same time going out on the road. We've been touring DIY for a few years now, just picking up steam, and we've been fortunate to find some very good friends, great sounding venues, and new fans in each city we've been to and each time we return, it seems like it gets a little better. We get more comfortable and have more people to meet up and hang out with. Touring has allowed our band to root itself in short relationships with other city's music scenes, and it's also sculpted how we think about our own sound. It's been so cool to pick up on what kind of genres or sounds are growing in popularity in each of these cities, and we tend to pick up a little bit of influence from our friends.”
What does an ideal day off for The Dead Bolts look like?
Hennessy:
“Lots of food - either cooking up a big band dinner or going out to eat at a lively establishment. We're pretty keen on knocking back a few cold ones. Preferably by a body of water or maybe some sort of mountain. On this past run we took two days off to rent a quaint little Airbnb in Brevard, NC on the side of a mountain. We grilled out, cooked up a few meals, watched some dumb movies, drank and wrote some music, and hung out by the fire pit in the back. It was perfect.”
Where would be the most exciting place to hear your music being played?
Hennessy:
“It's only happened a small handful of times here in our hometown of Chicago, but hearing our music being played in someone's car driving by is a nuts feeling. It almost feels like a prank.”
Photographer: Cherry Mac
The band’s latest album, Bèau Mondè, is nine songs made for that exact moment. Car windows down, the radio turned up a bit too loud. Available on streaming platforms, don’t worry if you run through The Dead Bolts’ discography. Eddie Hennessy says there’s more to come.
“We're working on finishing up our 3rd studio album this year. We'll slowly be rolling out a few singles, and we hope to have that album out as soon as we can. We don't like to sit on things for too long. We're also playing some big shows to round out the tour here in Chicago, and Milwaukee (as well as a quick return to NYC on Oct 23rd to open for our friends in Cab Ellis at LPR in Manhattan.)”
Stream The Dead Bolts and check out our gallery from their Charlotte show.
