The Sixsters: Loud, Unlabeled, and Unbroken
- JCP
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The Sixsters are living proof that punk is alive and well in 2026. Still, I wouldn’t dare put them into a neat category to their faces. If there’s one thing this band rejects outright, it’s labels. Unfortunately, their story is also inseparable from tragedy. Originally from Ukraine, The Sixsters’ music is deeply shaped by the realities of war—and because so much of what they create is rooted in that experience, it’s where any honest review has to begin.
The Sixsters’ Journey From Ukraine to the Global Stage
The Sixsters don’t shy away from their story; they want it heard. Formed in 2018 as children in a small Ukrainian village, the band’s momentum was violently interrupted by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Forced to flee to Germany, they could have easily faded into silence. Instead, the pull of music proved stronger. As the band states on the back of To Be Continued..., “At some point there just came a moment when we decided to reunite again and continue writing our music." Lineup changes followed, shaped by displacement and uncertainty, but the heart of The Sixsters—defiant, loud, and resolute—never wavered.
Context matters, sure—but it isn’t the whole point. The Sixsters don’t make music about war so much as they make music through it. What ultimately defines them isn’t where they’ve been, but how it explodes out of the speakers once they start playing.
Speaking of exploding . . . I opened this review by talking about how fiercely they reject labels and boxes. In true punk fashion (there I go again), they made that stance unmistakably clear with their 2025 release, No Standards. The band described the song to their Patreon members this way -
"We're tired of being compared, boxed in, and told how to sound, look, or act. This song is us stepping outside of all that noise — doing our thing, raw and unfiltered." |
With lyrics like "Go fuck your standards, go fuck your style" they would make any founding member of the Punk genre proud. Toss in some dueling heavy metal riffs and maniacal screams and you've got a punk-metal mashup that'll have you head banging from the opening lick. They come at you so hard in this one that the video opens with a warning: turn back if you’re squeamish (their words: "emotional sensitivity"). Profanity isn't optional here.
Now that we’ve established how little they care about critics’ boxes, let’s meet the band:
Mariia Krutsenko: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Anna Voloshyna: lead guitar, backing vocals
Polina Zagnoi: bass guitar, backing vocals
Kateryna Kuziakina: drums, backing vocals
Sofiia Chernova-Kurkykina: keyboards, backing vocals
They’ve released two independent English-speaking albums: 2022’s I'm Gonna Be and 2024’s To Be Continued...
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The Sixsters are far more than just the headbangers we heard on No Standards. Much of their songwriting leans into social critique and emotional healing, and because it’s rooted in lived experience, it hits hard. They’re more than capable of setting aside the punk, rock, and metal riffs to deliver something like 2024’s Everything I Owned. Have a box of tissues nearby.
Mariia’s vocal performance here is something to behold. When she wails “We all die alone (We all die alone),” it doesn’t sound performed—it sounds carried. The weight in her voice tells you this isn’t borrowed emotion; it’s been lived with, and it refuses to be smoothed over.
It would be remiss to leave on such a heart-wrenching moment though. The Sixsters are a fun band. They refuse to be defined. They're rebellious. When they're not making you cry, they're rocking you out and having a blast doing it. Fame was released in 2025, a song about - as they describe it - "the mix of grit, hope, and the bittersweet side of chasing the spotlight."
As you head out, check out their web site. If you are looking for an independent band to support, The Sixsters are more than deserving. Not just because of what they went through, but because they are that good.
