LUNA & The Gents’ Martin belongs to the kind of evening when the entertainment and the audience gradually become one noisy gathering. Their “Swingin’ Vintage Pop” brings a cabaret atmosphere to a song about a beloved bar host, with Evelyne “LUNA” Péquignot’s lead vocal making the invitation particularly attractive. My immediate association is a smoky room, drinks on the tables and people enjoying themselves a little too loudly. The recording has enough life to earn that association.

For all its immaculate finish, Martin keeps the instruments recognisably physical. Each retains its own character inside the polished production, so the pleasure comes from hearing musicians playing together as much as from the overall sheen. The vintage character emerges through the playing and the song’s communal spirit. Here, the retro references have the energy of a performance happening in the present. The lively rhythm helps: the song moves with purpose, and the clean presentation lets that movement register clearly.

Péquignot’s vocal sits comfortably within this balance of finish and personality. Her presence is immediately appealing, particularly alongside instruments that retain so much of their own identity. I like how the voice belongs to the same lively setting as the accompaniment.

The appeal is social and direct; I would happily hear her sing a full set in that setting. Even through such carefully managed production, the performance remains the thing attracting attention. Written by Leendert van Stipriaan, the song gives its central figure a chorus built for company: “M-A-R-T-I-N, Martin, you’re the man!” Spelling out his name is an unabashedly obvious device, and its bluntness suits the occasion.

Everybody gets the words; everybody gets a turn. The lyric makes a familiar host the focus of a collective celebration, giving the song a specific person to address. Its warmth has somewhere concrete to go.

My preference is for the sound of that celebration over the broader message about friendship. The instruments and the vocal already communicate the enjoyment with considerable charm. Martin is at its most persuasive when you can simply enjoy their company, and the production deserves credit for preserving that pleasure so carefully.

It is one of my favourite singles this year for precisely that reason: such a finished recording, still full of recognisable musical life. Back in that imagined cabaret, I would be paying as much attention to the performers as to the party.