Survivors of The Kraken Discuss Their Favourite Gear & Album ‘Amid Life Crises’

Alt-rock outfit Survivors of The Kraken, whose name was not inspired by or borrowed from John Wyndham’s novel, The Kraken Wakes, released their debut album, Amid Life Crises, last year.

We thought it was high time they received a little bit of attention, primarily because there’s a delicious edge to their music, a sound teetering between grunge and alt-rock, and, secondly, because they recorded the album sans digital manipulation, directly to 2” tape that was mixed down to ¼.” Perfectly imperfect, the album provides an all but extinct listening experience.

Made up of Justin Marra, Allan Furtado, and Brian Decoteaux, and first formed in 2001, Survivors of The Kraken went on to share the stage with MUST and Monty Are I. As life intervened, the band drifted apart. Marra became a teacher, while Furtado and Decoteaux played with the Candice Brooks Band.

Two decades later, Survivors of The Kraken got back together, followed by releasing a pair of singles, “Tattered Bagge” and “Dying on the Vine,” in 2023, followed by 2024’s “Broken Sound.”

Since then, they’ve performed at Boston Greenfest and PVD Fest, The Hard Rock Café (Boston), and shared the stage with Morris Day and The Time, Kyodie, Blue Dream, and Senior Discount. We recently spoke with Survivors of the Kraken, discussing Amid Life Crises, the provenance of their name, their writing process, and their gear.

Can you share the inspiration behind your debut album, Amid Life Crises, and the creative process involved in bringing it to life?

Justin Marra: “We had been building steady momentum prior to 2020, and then we’re in a global pandemic, nothing’s open, we can’t even get in a room together. We were all approaching 40 and losing people to disease, mental illness, substance abuse, accidents, and old age. Humans have this notion that ‘there’s always tomorrow,’ maybe there wasn’t? So, we booked studio time at subModern Audio and just started playing and writing. It’s a very intentional record, very personal. I let go of a lot of the frustration and anger I’d been carrying around.

Who is in Survivors of The Kraken, and which instruments do they play?

“Allan Furtado, bass, Brian Decoteaux, drums and percussion, and Justin Marra, guitars and vocals.”

How did you get started in music? What’s the backstory there?

Marra: “There’s this picture of me, five or six years old, standing on the landing of the staircase in my parents’ house, and I have this Mickey Mouse guitar and microphone on a stand. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love music, when it didn’t excite me, but my parents were reluctant to let me play an instrument. I was 14 or 15 and finally got my first guitar – just a rubbish department store kind of thing – it was barely playable, but there was no going back at that point. Everything else, sports, hobbies, etc., ceased to exist for me.”

Survivors of the Kraken live

Let’s talk gear for a moment. What are your go-tos and why do you love using them? Justin, what’s that wild guitar you’ve been playing?

Marra: “The guitar you’re talking about is a custom build that I dreamed up and was brought to life by Cindy Hulej  (Cindy Guitars) at Carmine St Guitars in New York City. It’s a mashup of the two versions (58/63) of the Supro Dual Tone but equipped with Gemini Pickups Tone Rangers, their take on Fender Wide Range CuNiFe hum buckers, and a Mastery Bridge/Trem system. I have so many guitars, but I’ve been pretty much playing the Marra-Matic since I got it. Thanks, Cindy!

“I like clean Fender-style amps. I’ve got a 65 Pro Reverb Black Panel, but these days it doesn’t leave the studio. Live, I run everything through a Two Notes Torpedo amp/cab sim. I’ve got a huge pedal board right now, but I’m looking forward to condensing that by digging into the Chaos Audio Stratus. They did a great job with the IRs and interface.

“Give me a Strat, a (JHS) Morning Glory, and a Delay pedal, and I can get through most of our set.”

Allan Furtado: “I primarily play a Fender Custom P/J, but will also sometimes use a German-made Warwick Corvette 4 std. My amp is an Orange BT500 H ‘terror’ into an American-made Ampeg svt 410he.”

Brian Decoteaux: “I play a Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga kit and for smaller rooms a Tama Club-JAM Pancake. I use Sabian cymbals.”

Survivors of the Kraken ‘Amid LIfe Crises’ album artwork

How, when, and where did SOTK get together?

Marra: “We originally formed in high school (Warwick, RI) in late 2001 as a four-piece and then reformed in 2012 as a trio.”

Decoteaux: “Allan and I were already (2001) in a band with another guitarist, and he didn’t want to sing and play guitar, so we put the word out that we were looking for someone, and a mutual acquaintance introduced Justin to us.”

Furtado: “When we reformed it all just clicked: ‘Oh, we actually are good musicians?’ The sound of the band is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Marra: “We wrote our first song as Survivors of The Kraken in 2012 or 2013? I was finishing my final solo project, but I really wanted to include Allan and Brian in some way. We wrote ‘Second Time’ around in like an hour, and they played the release show with me, and we just never stopped.”

Survivors of the Kraken live

What’s the story behind the name Survivors of The Kraken?

Decoteaux: “It’s a reference to the previously mentioned fourth member of our first band. His nickname was Squid.”

Furtado: “He actually formed that band. We might not be here today otherwise.”

What can you share about your writing process? 

Decoteaux: “Ideas can come from anyone, maybe I have a beat or Allan has a bassline.”

Marra: “It’s a lot like an improv game. We’re a band that truly writes together in the room. I may have what I thought was a finished song, but then we’re passing around a riff or progression and lightning strikes, and I may take bits and pieces from three different songs or a really good line I had and put it all together in a new configuration, and there it is.

“Sometimes Allan or Brian will say something, and that line I was missing will just click. ‘Empty Sky’ is a great example of the shape, function, and form that came from Allan. I think ‘conclude the thought that hasn’t happened yet’ was yours, too. Allan, maybe you’re the songwriter in the band? Brian was one hundred percent behind reworking an old song that became ‘All’s Not Meant For You.’ I would not have put the effort into saving it. It was almost like you were conducting us.”

Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practicing, or playing live?

Marra: “I’ve always enjoyed playing live. It’s so electric, but more recently, I long for the recording studio. Being in the studio was just really special, and it was transformative to hang out with my friends and write and create again. I want to start working on a second record just to see if we can recapture it.”

What’s your definition of success? 

Marra: “This: I’m fortunate to be living an objectively good life. I have an amazing partner in life and business, a comfortable home, and I get to make music and perform with two of my favourite people in the world and talk about it with people like you.”

Which artists are, in your opinion, killing it right now?

Furtado: “There’s this singer-songwriter – Taylor Swift – she’s doing big things right now.”

Marra: “Deep Sea Diver, Jessica Dobson and crew are making amazing music, largely independently, and playing the biggest stages with bands like Pearl Jam.

“Jesse Wells seems to be everywhere. I enjoy his stuff and aesthetic.

“The Paradox. These guys are electric, talented, and absolutely crushing it. I think they opened for Green Day two months after forming. Pop-punk is back!”

What’s next for Survivors of The Kraken?

Marra: “Sky’s the limit!”