There are few feelings that compare to stepping out your front door, popping your headphones over your ears, choosing a song to step to and blasting it full throttle. So beloved is this time-honoured tradition that in 2021 it acquired its very own term. The Hot Girl Walk, as it was commonly referred to by the girls and the gays, embraced more of a stamp than a step, and since its inception, has become a firm self-care staple. Having a Menty B? Put your headphones on and walk. Situationship messing with your mind? Put your headphones on and walk. It’s a rite of passage backed by beats that soundtrack your strut and make it that extra bit more satisfying.

Now, Chopova Lowena, the riotous London-based brand whose kitschy graphics and grungy detailing have drawn swathes of baddies and rebels into their swelling customer base, has designed the perfect partner for this very thing. Collaborating with Sony, the Alto Bag, which drops today at Dover Street Market London, features a silhouette that combines elements of the brand’s Sofia and Pow Pow Bags and is crafted from two tones of tartan. Devilish in its detailing, it sports a belt-inspired strap, silver buckle and Chopova Lowena’s answer to a Labubu; a rotund, pig-tail-touting key ring, mouth open, kicking up a fuss as it swings from a clip on the bag’s side. The pièce de résistance, however, is an outside pocket, perfectly shaped to house Sony’s latest flagship headphones, the WH-1000XM6. A must-have for the music-obsessed, we’ve decided to have a rummage around our playlists and dig out some recent releases from our favourite girlies to celebrate. Here come the hotsteppers.

Lola Young – D£aler

Pop’s latest straight-talking supernova, Lola Young, is back dropping tracks that cut deep and catch quick, this time from her upcoming album I’m Only F**king Myself, releasing September 19. Penning lyrics that track Young’s relationship with sex, drugs, love and everything in between, D£aler’s folky twang renders this fresh release addictive and on repeat.

CMAT – Euro-Country

Irish singer-songwriter CMAT is gradually transitioning from underground sweetheart to national treasure. Fresh off a Glastonbury performance that had fans pegging her as a headliner-in-the-making, her upcoming album Euro-Country, featuring this track with the same name, is proving why with every teaser. It’s a sentimental narrative, sharp and incisive in its approach, voiced by an artist who can speak for a generation.

George Riley – More

Another 10 Magazine UK Issue 74 alumna, George Riley, is in a league of her own. More, the single released July 31, pairs rapid percussion with small slices of country-like codes to create a distinct summer anthem of the Riley variety, as she celebrates “popping champagne, sun shining” and having “no kids”.

Wolf Alice – The Sofa

Indie darlings Wolf Alice, fronted by Ellie Rowsell, are gearing up to release their latest album The Clearing on August 22, with this track being one of the first to tease its rollout. Ethereal, honest and doused in that classic Wolf Alice charm that has made them a household name.

Amaarae and Pink Pantheress – Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt. 2

Amaarae had fun with her latest album Black Star, released August 8. Exhibit A is the track Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2, the artist’s answer to Soulja Boy’s 2008 bop, featuring Pink Pantheress. Backed by a melody that falls on the softer side, it’s light thumps, bubbling rhythms and helium-toned vocals make for the perfect summer song with the right dose of sweetness.

Erika De Casier – Delusional

As one of the artists leading the charge of unique talents emerging from Scandinavia right now, Erika De Casier’s angelic vocals pair deliciously with the swelling sounds, spattered scratching and clipping drums of Delusional, a low-key exploration of the reality of modern-day dating.

Reneé Rapp – Leave Me Alone

Everyone’s favourite punky pop lesbian, Reneé Rapp, dropped her latest album on August 1. Entitled Bite Me, it unsurprisingly occupies space on the side of pop music that likes to be a bit cheeky. Employing grungy riffs and lyrics rooted in not caring what others think, the hook of this track has Rapp’s unbothered drawl telling an obsessed lover to leave her alone, she just wants to have fun. It’s a sizzling anthem for the girlies who worship at the altar of doing whatever the hell they want.

Olivia Dean – Nice To Each Other

The Princess Diana of neo-soul, Olivia Dean, is gearing up to release her hotly anticipated sophomore offering, The Art of Loving, this September. After the stratospheric success of her debut album Messy, it’s unsurprising that Nice To Each Other, our first toe-tapping sample of what’s to come, has already graduated into the upper echelons of musical virality – Jimmy Fallon performance and all. A megastar in the making.

FKA Twigs – Perfectly

FKA Twigs’ most recent track, the single Perfectly released July 16, puts an introspective tale about self-growth and the benefit of retrospect into a club-ready gear. Energetic in its rhythm, Twigs’ resonant, high-pitched register is easy on the ears and makes the release an instant Twigs classic.

Chy Cartier – Miu Miu

10 Magazine Issue 74 alumni Chy Cartier knows how to build bars like she’s Bob. Having dropped on August 8, this fash-focused bop will have you nodding your noggin in time with Cartier’s expertly spun story about rising to the top of your game and decking yourself out in the clobber to match.

Photography courtesy of Chopova Lowena.

@chopovalowena